We Are the Palace Guards
by nihongoneko
Summary: The setting is in the past, in feudal era Japan. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided. rated more for its depth complications than explicit content for now.
1. Chapter 1 Separation

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

-

**Chapter One: Separation**

It had been a week since a spread of the plague reached the Castle East, taking with it all the members of the royal family that had resided there. The people of the castle and the people of the land were in mourning. To most of the castles residents, the death of the monarchy meant just that- the death of the royalty. To others, however, it meant that their lives had to change.

One such group was the elite guard, also known as the Head of the Guards- those who had been charged the duty of protecting the royal family from harm. This team, a group of four females and three males, known throughout Japan as "the Seven of the East", were meeting to decide what their next move was now that their "masters" were gone, leaving them with no one in the castle that they trusted to lead, and no one left that they had promised to serve. The elite guard had only protected the previous royal family because they had chosen to- they were that powerful. Now that their "contract", as it was, was over, ended by the death of the royal family that they had sworn to protect, they did not have to stay...

"I say that we stay here," the cook, Ukyo, said. "We can't just leave the rest of the people alone, unprotected, just because the lord and lady are gone. They'll be worried, scared."

"That may be true," the informant, Akane, spoke up, tilting her chair back as she thought. "But think about it. If we're here when they call upon a new leader to serve the castle, will we not then be demanded upon to serve him as well?"

Akane had lost most of her girliness when she had joined the elite guards, but some of her feminine side made an appearance as she twirled a few strands of her short hair around her fingers carelessly. Ranma, the captain, watched her out of the corner of his eye as he continually surveyed the room, ears and eyes open and body ready for any possible sudden attack. Even in times of peace, he was always ready, always prepared. Some called it paranoia. He called it survival.

The elite guard had reason to be cautious and alert. As the most powerful protectors in the castle, they were the biggest threat to all enemies of the East, and thus, most likely to be targeted. Many times, one of the seven had been ambushed, and sometimes, even as a group. Ranma's job as captain was to make sure that his team always remained safe. So even when they relaxed a bit, he was always watching over them- sharp and alert. As always, he remained silent as his team discussed the problem by themselves. If he had something important to add, he would speak. But normally, he was only needed to make the final decision final.

"We have made it a habit of swearing our loyalty to only those who have rightly gained our trust and respect." Mousse, the trap master, added from near Shampoo, the master of disguise, who was leaning against the wall close to his chair. She often refused to sit, even when it was just them, saying that it was harder to pull a disguise seated down, though it never seemed to cause too much of a problem for the young woman to do it in times of trouble. The room that they were in now, while debating the issue of stay or go, had been suggested to them by her. It was one of the far off rooms in the castle from the main hustle and bustle of the castle residents, and contained a window for an easy escape. Though, Mousse had pointed out, that the window would also make them an easier target for their enemies to get them. Therefore, as extra precaution, they had kept the window closed.

"Shampoo have to agree with Mousse here." Shampoo said in her soft, musical voice, quietly speaking from her corner of the room. "We no know who come now. We no obligated to stay here. Castle is nice, but make Shampoo uneasy since lord and lady die." She didn't shift position, but her comrades could see her uneasiness by the slightly wary look in her eyes and the way she had her arms crossed, even though they were loose, not tense. Even though her Japanese never was perfect, Shampoo could disguise her voice to be so when she needed. Around her comrades though, she allowed her regular tone to be heard through. "If we stay, Shampoo afraid we be stuck with bad lord and he no want to let us leave. Is bad chance. Shampoo say we go."

"But, hon, who says that they'll be bad?" Ukyo asked gently, aware of Shampoo's cautious nature. In truth, all of them were cautious. But Shampoo had one of the biggest trust issues of the group. Arguing in anything but a soft voice, even as one of her few trusted friends, would shake up Shampoo badly and make her even more nervous.

"We have no way of knowing until they come if they'll be any good or not."

"True." Ryoga answered, also sitting in a chair. He turned to Kodachi, who was next to him. "But finding a blood relative could take weeks for the castle informants and searchers. And it's not like they'll ask Akane for help."

Akane nodded, quiet, listening. It was true. Since the elite guard was basically a category of its own from the castle guard, with enough power to back it up that it didn't need to serve the castle or its residents, or lord if they didn't want to, and because they were not part of the original guard that served the castle, the people in the castle tended to avoid them as much as possible. People who didn't swear eternal loyalty to every lord were not seen in a good light with the castle residents. And the fact that sometimes the guard seemed to possess inhuman strength and speed served to further make the people uneasy. Akane was especially avoided, as was Ukyo and Shampoo and Kodachi, because they were female guards, a rarity, and elite guards at that. They ranked above the regular male guards, and always refused any advances made on them in the past from any men, guard or not.

Though all four women were of marrying age, as were the three men in their group, none of them had ever shown any interest in anyone of the opposite gender, and often spent little time away from each other, communicating with the people and even the regular palace guards as little as possible. In the castle, except for the lord and lady, the elite guard had been outcasts. Now that the lord and lady were gone, they had to decide whether it was worth staying to wait for the next heir to come or not, aware that if they were going to leave, they'd have to while everyone was still mourning, before people began to demand that they stay. It was times like these that they disliked most being able to make their own decisions, because it was always so much trouble. But because they all refused to be tied down to an obligation that they did not agree with, they were choosing whether to wait in or out of the castle now.

"Well, we have to make a decision." Kodachi said, leaning on the table, arms folded. "It's not like half of us will serve this place and the other half of us won't. We have to stick together, or we have no one. So what is?" That was the biggest issue. All of the elite guard had hard lives before they had met, and they only trusted each other. The lord and lady were probably the only other people with whom they had trusted, which had been why they had chosen to serve them in the first place. And even that was not to the extent that they trusted one another.

The group was silent for a bit as they thought it over. Talk was never wasted on them. If they didn't have to, they didn't utter a single word, even to each other. It was just their way- they knew each other enough that silence like this between them was never uncomfterable.

At last, someone spoke up. It was Ranma.

"Without a lord that has earned our loyalty here, and no other person to whom we owe a loyalty to of any kind, we have no reason to remain in the Castle East. We'll leave." He looked around at his group, making eye contact with each, briefly resting, and on Akane's last, a second longer than the others, before continuing.

"For the time being, we have no purpose here. We can still protect the people of the land that we had sworn the lord to protect outside of these castle walls same as before, if not better- if we choose to protect them. We don't need to be here. There's no necessity of it."

His team members all nodded slightly, as proof that they both agreed with his decision and were listening. Kodachi, especially, paid attention. She was the most uncomfterable in the castle, having a bad past experience to match her disdain and uneasiness for both it and most of its residents. The only reason she had stayed was her loyalty to her comrades and to the lord. If she did not have to stay, she would rather not.

The team did not speak. They waited patiently, knowing that Ranma would elaborate. He never gave a vague order. And they were all willing to follow, no matter his decision. It had been a unanimous choice that he would be their captain. They trusted him to do what was best for all seven of them, without exception.

"Until we are needed here, until a new lord arrives, we will separate ways." He looked around at all of them again. His expression did not change. However, he wasn't issuing a direct unchallengeable order- he almost never did. He took a pause to let the idea sit in and for them to grasp the implications of it, allowing them time to think and debate in their minds, giving them time to voice their opposing opinions, if they had any.

"If and when a new lord appears, we will gather to observe him and see if he is worth the position. We can watch him, but we cannot take away his position for any reason." He made eye contact with everyone again, letting them know with eyes alone what "taking away" a lords position implied. He stated it for clarity, so that there were no mistakes or "misinterpretations"- no excuse.

"Even killing a corrupt lord is still killing a lord, without orders. Do not harm him or consider it until coming to me first, if reason or cause presents itself. Understand?"

Silence. That meant that there were no objections. Everyone had agreed. They looked at him and waited for him to continue speaking.

"Good." He nodded his head, an agreement to their unanimous decision, adding his vote to theirs. Then Ranma continued, issuing his last orders to ensure that they'd be safe. It was always the first thing on his mind and something that he never left out.

"Remember, no notifications to any palace person, palace guard, or each other. I want no contact between any of you, to each other, or to me, until our next meeting. No endangering yourself or others, and most of all, don't let _anyone_ know who you are." he finished.

If anyone objected to the plan at all, now was the last time to speak up, they all knew, or it meant that they completely agreed to it. If no one spoke, they would be held to that silence as their word. The seven, as I said, rarely had to speak many words to communicate with or understand each other. And rarely was a decision made by Ranma disagreed with. Not because they feared him as the captain. But because they trusted him to do what was best.

No one spoke. At last, Ranma allowed his eyes a brief close, only a bit longer than a blink. It was the only sign that they had that showed them how hard this was for him. He, like the others, was very close to his teammates of the elite guard. And though he was often quiet and reclusive, they were more important to him than anyone or anything else would or could ever be. Looking around the room at his loyal comrades one last time, making eye contact with each of them, he spoke one last time.

"Be careful out there, everyone. I should see you again. However, if no lord ever comes, remember, this group is disbanded. No more contact, ever." It was their safeguard. They had all decided long ago that if ever they had no reason to be the guards that they were, they would disband until needed again. Having all of them together at once otherwise would bring about all sorts of trouble. Their many enemies would see it as a chance for war, whereas separated, they posed little to no threat because they only worked as a group. If they did not have a purpose to band together as a team, it was safest for all of them to stay as far away from one another as possible. Again, Ranma had made the decision as the captain. And though he clearly did not want it, just like everyone else, their lives were more important to him than never seeing them again. As long as they were alive.

Everyone inclined their heads simultaneously towards him. They knew that they may never see each other, but it was highly unlikely that the castle people wouldn't find a royal blood relative. The question would only be how long they had to wait until a new lord was found. The elite guards were patient, and they were confident that that time would come to pass. A castle without a lord was in danger until a new one was found. _Someone_ would be found. They were betting and hoping for it. In this world, the seven of them truly had no one else but each other.

Everyone was quiet as they had what would be last moments together for a long time. Finally, after several glances, eye contact, and almost unnoticeable hand signals goodbye, they were ready. It was time to leave.

Shampoo and Mousse were first. They both bowed their heads towards their friends, standing up straight first and facing the room, and were abruptly gone. The window let in a light breeze, carrying in a single leaf. It hadn't been open before the meeting.

Ukyo waved to Ranma and the other three.

"See ya, all. Hope you can get along without my cooking." She winked cheerfully, with a smile that was a little forced as she tried to make the joke, and then she too was gone in a flash, out the window, hoisting herself up to the roof with a flip and leaping off on the rooftops like a ninja, leaving the least possible trail so that she couldn't be followed by any enemies to wherever she was going to go.

Ryoga nodded to Ranma, Akane, and Kodachi, a solemn incline of his head.

"See ya soon." he said, his voice slightly rough from emotion at having to depart from everyone that he was so close to, and walked out the connecting castle door, hand held up in a wave. He made a turn and disappeared. You couldn't even hear his footsteps. Though his heart was heavy, as with all the guards, his footsteps were light to conceal his presence. He was gone.

Kodachi stood up from her seat and bowed to Ranma.

"Good-bye, Captain. Take care." she lifted her head to acknowledge Akane with a brief nod, which was returned, and small smile as well. "We'll meet again." she said softly, and you could hear the hope in her voice.

She also took to the window, climbing out by sitting on the edge and swinging her legs over to the other side, graceful as always. She walked slowly across the grass towards town, as if she was out on a stroll. At least one of the elite guard needed to be seen at the castle during that time. It would be the castle resident's last look at one of the Head of the Guards in a long time. Kodachi had willingly been that last person.

Akane and Ranma both stood, facing each other at opposite ends of the table. Kodachi had sat one seat from Ranma's side, her seat still out from the table. His other side had been an empty seat. Ranma had been close enough to the window to hear the outside noises and simultaneously keep an eye on all of his team members, something he had always done, even before being appointed captain. Akane had always admired how he looked out for all of them, even in the little things like that (in comparison to things like the agreement among the guards now). She knew that he was having them do this for their protection, but she was still sad. Ranma, who could probably read this best on her, on the face that she had learned throughout her life to keep so carefully blank, held out his hand.

He smiled then, a small smile, but it was still something. It made him look a bit younger, more handsome- one of the few ways that showed that he wasn't as his position of captain made him appear to be. Akane was glad for that smile. She took his hand in his, still amazed at how it swallowed hers in its grip. Of all the guards, Akane had known Ranma the longest, had the oldest bond with him, and was the closest.

"See ya, 'Kane." he said, using he nickname to reassure her that everything was alright. "We'll be seeing each other again before you know it."

She smiled back then. Of course. How silly of her, she thought. She wouldn't have to be alone forever. Just endure it, for awhile. Just hearing his words raised her spirits. Another reason that Ranma had been named captain. He calmed the guards' fears. Most importantly, he understood that there was more to a person than their abilities- there was emotion, fragile and delicate. He had been the one to protect them physically and soothe them emotionally. He had done a lot more for all of them than any other person ever had.

"It would be a good idea to head West for now." Ranma told her, his hand still holding hers as he spoke the suggestion that was more than a suggestion, but not an order. "I hear that a lot of things are happening there," he added, hinted. "The information network near the castle should keep you pretty happy until it's time to return."

"Thank you, Captain." she said, feeling relief now that he had given her a direction to go in. Even though she was the informant, she hated making choices like such this- where to go as she waited for the time when she could see everyone again- especially with worrying about the best place to receive new about the new lord as soon as he came so that she could return and see everyone again. So that she could be first to see him and the others arrive. "I'll see you soon too." Both their hands gripped each others a bit harder then, and trembled slightly. Neither liked the idea of being away from each other so long.

With that last smile, she and Ranma dropped hands and Akane walked towards the door Ryoga had gone out of. She turned back one last time to get a last look, her eyes filled with so many things, before walking a short distance down the hall and making a turn out of sight. Ranma was left in the room alone.

He ran his hand through his messy hair, his pigtail moving slightly from the movement, and sighed. It was deep and harrowing, as his brain filled with the knowledge of the long road ahead- the time he would have to spend away from his comrades until a new lord was found. But when a servant walked into the room not half a minute later, the room was neat and in order, as if no one had been in it at all.

No one would see the elite guard of the East again for several months.

-chapter end.

Ps. "West" is capitalized because the hint is for her to go to the Castle West. More on that in later chapter "Akane's Journey" (not to appear for a while).


	2. Chapter 2 Ryoga's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

-2-

**Chapter Two: Ryoga's Journey**

Ryoga, heavy hearted, was traveling on the long, empty road to the northeast region. Thankfully, it was all farmland and wilderness, so there was no castle or lord to rule over the land. It was the perfect place to get away from all that reminded him of what he had just left- willingly.

He hung his head in shame. He really shouldn't be thinking like that. What else could he have done? Ranma had given them a chance to voice their opinions, but Ryoga hadn't realized exactly how much he'd miss them all so soon into his journey. And he trusted his captain, correction, former captain, to make the best decision for them, to keep them all safe- or as safe as possible in a world such as this. Not even Ranma could be everywhere at once or do everything.

Depression weighing heavily on his heart, the infamous "Power Guard" of the elite guard of Castle of the East, Ryoga Hibiki (whose last name was known only to him for security purposes and because Ranma had said that it made him slightly harder to track- and every little bit helped when it came to staying invisible to enemy eyes) wanted to do nothing more than to crawl under a rock somewhere and die. It was pathetic how sad and mopey he was now, he thought to himself. He was so distracted that he almost didn't notice his surroundings and barely avoided taking a wrong turn in the road, which would of led him (eventually) to the region of the North.

Ryoga pivoted at just the right moment and headed down the second path, towards northeast. That was close. Ryoga knew better than anyone that he had a bad sense of direction if he didn't pay close enough attention. Even going home, he tended to head the wrong way at least half of the time if he didn't watch his steps. It was one of his biggest weaknesses. He had no idea how he kept doing it, just that he did.

A tired sigh escaped his lips. Home. How depressing. What he was now returning to wasn't "home", but a former hideout of his, back before he had joined the elite guard of the Castle East. Back when he had just been a mountain boy, all alone. Home was with the others- with the only people he considered family. The only people who had ever cared for him, protected him, shared and laughed with him. People he could trust with his life. Before he had met them, he had never believed that such people could exist. All his life he had lived alone, watched out for himself, stood up for himself on his own. His inhuman strength had been something that scared people, made them fear him and avoid him. But none of the elite guards had ever been afraid of his touch, never worrying that he might crush them with his bare hands. They trusted him, with their limbs, with their lives. And now he was separated from them- on his own again, with only his hope that a new lord would be found, and soon, and faith that his captain was right, keeping him going.

Ryoga's eyes and feet noticed his surroundings before his brain did, and subconsciously stopped him. He looked around, a bit dazed at first. Then he recognized it. This was where he had to get off the path, and only road, to head towards the wilderness. He scanned the area first, old habits dying hard, before stepping off the road. From here on out, he'd be separated from civilization, all civilization, and would remain that way until he received news about the next lord. Be it a day or ninety years, he would wait, until he could see them all again. There was nothing in his life more important than this. He would wait forever for them. That's what loyalty was about. That's what the loyalty of the elite guard was all about. The same loyalty that they had to each other and to no one else. He would wait. Like they all would. And trust Ranma's judgment that they would all see each other again. He'd wait till his dying day to just see them all once more.

Ryoga neared the giant oak tree that signaled it was time to turn direction into the deeper region. A short walk later, he had reached the edge of the hill, that ended in a cliff overlooking a vast mountainous region. Most people never saw this drop off, never saw the beauty hidden in the supposedly shallow forest, below and after it, the seemingly endless expanse of trees, streams, and rivers, kissed by the sun. But he had lived there for most of his life and knew it well. It was both beautiful and dangerous, the place he had learned to survive, to live. He was the little mountain boy, feared by humanity, isolated from civilization. Today, he returned to the land he knew so well, as he waited to be found once again. As he waited for his friends to find him again.

-morning-

Ryoga woke to the smell of dust and moss, long settled in the wood of the small hut that he resided in, which had seeped into the structure for years. The moss, since before he had left. The dust though, that was a new addition. When he had lived here before, alone, he had cleaned it to keep the dust away. But since he had joined the elite guard, he hadn't returned back here. Not once. And thus, the dust had settled in to stay. Now it was too ingrained into the hut to remove. It had definitely been a long time.

It was before dawn. He groaned and considered turning over and going back to sleep, but instead forced himself to sit up. He had a lot to do today, starting first with gathering some food and supplies. Rubbing a hand wearily over his face, he got up to start the day.

A huge yawn stretched his mouth as he stepped outside, into the fresh air. Not that the change in scenery wasn't nice, but he really wished that the others could see what he was seeing, be with him while he was here. He had no idea where they all were now, only that he could almost guarantee that none of them were within maybe five, ten miles of each other. He was sure that no one had started out in the same direction (after all, he had been one of the last of the elite guards to leave the castle that day). So it stood to reason that they would all be spread out. If he thought about it for a bit, he could probably figure out where they all were. But even if he did, he couldn't see them, couldn't visit them. The captain's orders had been emphasized especially on that one point. He had been very specific in telling them that they could not contact each other. For their own protection. It was dangerous when they were all together. Especially in times like this, when they had sworn loyalty to no one but each other.

Ryoga stretched slowly, staring up at the sky. As long as he didn't think about the others, about where they were or what they were doing, he may just be able to endure his solitude a bit better. He knew that they would never be far from his mind, but he would try as hard as he could to keep himself busy so that there was less opportunity for it. Mind set, a determined look on his face, he trooped out to find food as the first rays of sun kissed the ground.

-noon-

By midday, Ryoga had gathered enough food and wood both for fire and to make basic supplies. He needed clothes- the only thing he couldn't make on his own. He would either have to go into nearby town, continuously wash his one pair of clothes that he had now, or start walking around the forest naked. Not extremely fond of the third opinion (especially since he'd eventually have to see other people and walk in a place with other people), and not looking forward to the second opinion (he didn't want to have to do laundry that often- he had never been fond of doing it even once a week)- left only one choice- buy more clothes. That meant that he had to go into town. Sad, really, since he had just reached the hut and he had been looking forward to spending some more time alone before having to go back out into any type of society. But it couldn't be helped.

He stretched his back out, which had grown tense from his morning labor, and groaned from its minor and long forgotten agony. He was really out of shape in the chores department. Why did it always seem that no matter how hard you worked out, your body always failed you when it came to menial labor? He cracked his neck and casually looked around. Well, to any observer, it seemed to just be casual. But in reality, he was scanning his surroundings for any possible danger, as well as plotting out escape routes in case if any problems came about. A habit he had even before he joined the elite guard, but now it was even worse- he was more paranoid since he had met them than ever before. But it had been necessity. He regretted nothing that happened since meeting the others. Besides, he thought, it was their way of life. The life they, and he, had chosen to live.

And going back to that thought of life, Ryoga's thoughts continued as he flexed his stiff fingers, he needed clothes.

-night-

By nightfall, Ryoga had been back to obsessively thinking about the others. Under the cover of dark, memories of them returned, haunted him. Unable to sleep, he decided on a midnight workout. Maybe if he exhausted himself, his mind would also be too tired to think. Naive, but he needed comfort, even if it was of the fictional kind. Anything was better than doing nothing and letting his thoughts wander. With that set in mind, Ryoga left the hut once more to walk out into the brisk night air.

It wasn't until while he was in the middle of an intense training session that Ryoga came up with the idea to develop a new technique. It came to him when his arms were numb, his torso ached, and his legs had turned to jell-o. At first it had sounded ludicrous, but the more he had thought about it, the better it had sounded. Developing a new technique would definitely take his mind off of everything else. And he'd have something to show everyone when they were finally reunited. With a new goal set in mind, Ryoga's heart lightened.

Now, he had a plan.

-

The people of the town of the northeast region heard noises coming in the direction from the forest not too far off, known as the Mountain Child's Forest, that night and for the rest of the following weeks after that. The forest in the mountains was a place where a boy was rumored to live, all on his own- a child with the strength of a monster and eyes as cold as ice. Some believed that the child was really the descendant of a demon, and rumor had it that he had lived in the village among them until he had been chased out by the villager men years ago.

Many of the adults told stories about the boy, who had been only a bit youger than them at the time, and tales of how he could kill a grown man with one hand. They believed that the noise signaled the demon's return to their land, and, as superstition spread, Ryoga, alone in the forest that had been named after him after he had being chased from his home in the village years ago, trained with fierce determination. Some of the town's people didn't believe the stories. But only few, who said that the boy only died in the forest, that no child could really live in the wilderness and survive. But that only added to the rumors, to the story that whoever was making those sounds wasn't human. And as Ryoga trained, the rumors spread to the northwest.

-chapter end.


	3. Chapter 3 Ukyo's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

-3-

**Chapter Three: Ukyo's Journey**

Ukyo was walking through town looking for work. It was the second town she had been through in so many days, looking for a job to support herself until she was called back to the Castle East, and to the others. Not many places allowed women to do anything other than serve food (if they allowed women to work at all), much less cook it, which was the only thing she wanted to do. She sorely needed a job, but she refused to lower herself to the level of a waitress when she herself was a great chef, with the pride of one to match it. Thus, she had walked almost nonstop for about a week, in search of a place that would hire her.

Why would she bother getting a job in the first place, most would wonder, if she had been an elite guard before? Couldn't she get a better job? In truth, she probably could, but Ukyo's one true love, her first true calling, was food. And besides, Ranma had told them to keep a low profile. Ukyo was nothing if not faithful to her captain's orders. And taking on a job as a guard elsewhere would be anything but subtle. All new guards for the next month or so would be under constant scrutiny, ever since word had gotten out that the elite guard of the Castle East had "run off" (which they hadn't, but that was besides the point).

As Ukyo was passing by an inn (which seemed slightly run down), she realized for the first time how much she missed a bed and, more importantly, human contact, as her heart gave a sad little tug. She had talked very little to people over the past few days- had never really likes socializing that much to begin with- but she was desperate for a human voice now that her closest companions were spread throughout Japan, not allowed to see, speak, or contact each other in any way.

Being separated from the elite guards, without a clue as to when she'd see them again, had unnerved her to the point where she had been able to do nothing the past few days but continue walking, looking for work since she had no better way to pass the time. When you lost the only thing that was ever important in your life, what was there left to do but try to survive? Thus, she had been traveling almost nonstop since she had left the castle. With nothing else in mind, Ukyo walked into the inn. Maybe she'd stay a night and continue her journey in the morning. After all, it wasn't like she was in any hurry to get somewhere. And the closer she was the castle, the faster she return could be when a new lord was found.

Not one to believe in fate (Ukyo believed that you made your own destiny, and any bad things that happened to you were just bad things), she had no idea of knowing just how important that one extra day in that town would be for her.

The next day, about an hour away from midday, Ukyo met Tsubasa...

-morning-

Ukyo had just stepped outside when she noticed a boy a bit away, playing with a toy ball. It was so cute, and since Ukyo's life had had little of such things since becoming an elite guard, and even before she became an elite guard, she allowed herself the indulgence of watching the innocent wonder go across the child's face. Such a simple thing, but something she missed so much that it surprised her. Ukyo had lost such simplicity very early on in life, and had often sat watching children play with that same simplicity, while she longed for the emotion and the joy it brought. But times like that had long gone by, and Ukyo was no longer a child anymore.

So caught up in her sad memories, Ukyo almost failed to hear the sound of an approaching cart. The sound of it cutting through the normal morning town noise caught her ears though, and she turned to find said cart was speeding through the road at a dangerous pace. Horror quickly filled her when, out of the corner of her eye, a ball entered her vision and then, the boy, who had gone into the road to chase after his toy. The boy was going to be _hit_.

Everything happened in slow motion for her, though to everyone else, it was over before they could even blink.

Ukyo dove and grabbed the boy, who had just picked up his ball, bringing him close to her body as she rolled out of the way of the carts' path as it sped by- not a second after she rolled out of its way. Stopping herself with a hard slap of her free hand on the ground, Ukyo sat upright on the road, panting from the adrenaline rush that she had gotten from her fear of the boys life more than from the fast and dangerous move that she had just done. She heard the murmurs of people on the street who had just seen what she had done as the sound of the cart fading down the street, its driver not even seeming to realize- or care- about what had almost happened.

She took few deep breaths before raising her head from where she had tucked it on top of the boy's. When the boy in her arm didn't move, she looked down at him and asked

"Are you okay?"

Ukyo was positive that the child had received no injuries, but she wasn't asking him about that. The poor boy could be shaken from his near-death experience, scared to death. But when his head shook a small 'no', she breathed out a sigh of relief and brought up her hand (that she had used to stop their roll) up to push her bangs away from her face, unconcerned that it was most likely streaking dirt across her forehead and into her hair. She glanced down at the boy again, unable to help herself from checking to make sure that he really was unharmed.

After closer inspection, she decided that he'd be fine. He was looking around a bit now, though he stayed on her lap, and she noticed how silent he was. It wasn't like he was scared- he looked perfectly okay where he was, as if he hadn't almost gotten run over. Instead, he looked mildly curious, and his face was in a cute little kid pout- the one that they did naturally, not the one they did when they wanted something when they were going to cry. Finally, the little boy looked up at her.

"Thank you, lady." and smiled at her. And she just had to smile back.

-week later-

"Good morning, Ms. Kuonji!" a bright, cheerful voice came from the front of the room.

It was Tsubasa. Ukyo smiled and greeted him, glad to see the little boy who had fast become a regular customer and a constant happy face during the long waiting period that seemed to stretch on forever (although according to her mental calendar, it had only been a few days since she had first met the boy and been able to get a job in town as the second cook of an okinomiyaki restaurant- one of her favorite foods. It had been a lucky break because the town was only two towns over from the Castle East and allowed her to stay in the loop of castle news. Sure, it meant that she had to be more cautious, because everyone near the castle were watched as news about the elite guards disappearance spread, but she was certain that they'd never find out who she was. She had taken too many precautions to be found out.).

Tsubasa hoisted himself up onto one of the stools, to which no one objected. Ukyo had fast become known in town as a great chef, and everyone knew that Tsubasa was her best friend. If they complained about the boy, Ukyo would refuse to serve them. She had done it before, and the rest of the patrons and the other chef had been unwilling to test her threat to stop working at the restaurant if Tsubasa couldn't be served like everyone else just because of his age, despite the fact that children at that time weren't looked upon too favorably by most.

"So, what'll it be today, hon?" she asked him, stirring her batter.

"Shrimp, please!" Tsubasa asked, beaming a smile in her direction. Ukyo smiled back.

"Coming right up."

Careful to keep her movements at a normal speed, she began making his food, talking to him all the while.

"I've been experimenting with some flavors again, Tsubasa." she started, her hands automatically working on his meal without needing much attention from her. Tsubasa nodded, having been the personal taste-tester for all her previous experiments.

"And I was wondering if you had any ideas for an okinomiyaki for a special friend of mine."

While it was true that while she had been there, Tsubaba had filled some of the void of loneliness that was in her heart, Ukyo hadn't been able to stop thinking about the others. Finally, she had decided to at least make the separation worth her time, and come up with a new spectacular dish for them all that she would unveil when they reunited. They would be so please with her efforts, and she could just imagine their reactions when they ate said "spectacular dish." The only problem was, she had no idea what the dish would be yet. Okinomiyaki seemed the obvious choice, since it was what she had been making as of late. But how would she dress it up for them? What toppings? What preparations? Thousands of ideas had come to mind, but none of them had seemed exactly right to her. None had seemed good enough, spectacular enough, for her closest and most trusted companions.

Unsure what else to do, she had finally decided to take suggestions, but, as always, her survival instincts made her only give a half truth (that way if someone overheard, it would sound less likely that she knew a large group of people. therefore, if they were looking, they wouldn't think she was one of the "runaway" elite guards- which were one of a group). She had told Tsubasa that it was for a friend. But really, it would be for all of them.

"Yeah, I have a great idea!" Tsubasa said excitedly, snapping her from her thoughts. Ukyo blinked and realized that she had finished his okinomiyaki automatically. Silently, she scooped it up from the grill with her spatula and put it on a plate for him. _Jeeze_. If she had been on a mission, she could have been _killed_.

Ukyo shook her head mentally, reminding herself that she _wasn't_ on a mission. But she still had to be careful, on alert. Danger could still strike at any time. And if someone aimed for her, Tsubaba would be in the range of fire. The last thing she wanted was for him to be hurt.

Tsubaba was grinning and, after a customary 'thank you', leaned closer to her to tell her his great idea- like he was sharing a big secret with her. Ukyo smiled back and leaned over twice as far so he wouldn't loose his balance by trying to get to her and fall onto the grill. When he whispered his suggestion into her ear, though, her face went momentarily blank, before a huge grin split her lips. It was perfect.

Tsubasa leaned back to cut and eat his food, and cut it. But before he took his first bite, he looked back up at her.

"My mom use to make it for me." the boy said, grinning at her. "It was her special dish, that grandma had told her when she was my age."

He took a bite of his okinomiyaki, chewed, and swallowed.

"It's special." he said, his face serious as only a kid's could be. "Mommy use to give it to daddy, when he went away. And when he came back, she always made it for him. He said that thinking about it made him want to come home again sooner."

Ukyo felt her eyes unexpectedly well up at Tsubasa's words. A tear slid down her cheek as she started at the grill.

"Miss. Kuonji?" Tsubasa's voice drifted into her ears, sounding concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tsubasa." she reassured him, wiping away at her tears. "I just miss my friend."

"Well, if you feed that to him, he'll never want to leave you again!"

Ukyo couldn't help it- she laughed. And, as tears streamed freely down her cheeks, all she could think about was that she was glad that she had meet Tsubasa.

-chapter end.


	4. Chapter 4 Shampoo's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

to my readers: to Twilight- Yeah, Kodachi does seem different, doesn't she? Don't worry, her laugh will appear in due time. But her chapter doesn't come up until about three or four more, so you'll have to wait quite a bit, if not until the elite guards are reunited.

last minute note: the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.)

-4-

**Chapter Four: Shampoo's Journey**

Shampoo had gone northwest (unknowingly, in the exact opposite direction that Ryoga had gone) in order to be completely alone and away from any human contact. For many reasons, Shampoo disliked socializing, to the point that she even despised it. Her hatred of company of any kind (save for the elite guards of the Castle East, of course) was rooted deeper than most of the elites. At least, that she knew of. None of them had ever felt the need to tell each other their pasts. It was in the past. And it wasn't necessary for them to know to be able to work together. Besides, she didn't enjoy talking about it. Save for maybe Ranma, whose life had been the only one that Shampoo knew of that was worse than hers, and whom she trusted absolutely, she had never told anyone about her past.

Along with Akane and Ukyo, Shampoo was given the most grief by the regular guards at the castle about being part of the elite. She was female. Even now, in this day and age, that was all it took to be different. But Ranma had accepted her in as if it meant nothing. He expected as much from her, or any of the guards, as he did of himself. Male or female didn't matter to him. It was one of the reasons that she respected him so much, and followed him. And why she was still following him now, even though she hated it.

Never one to disobey orders, Shampoo had left on her journey the minute that they had been told to have no further contact with any of the other elite guard until a new lord was found. She had stopped only once since then- at a place unknown to the others, where she had a pack hidden for emergency exits from the castle, in case of a sudden mission or for something else, like a raid from another castle where Ranma ordered them to split up for safety reasons. Although it had almost broken her heart to be so far from her loyal brethren, from the only people she had ever trusted and would ever trust, she had obeyed. And not looked back. Pride was Shampoo's greatest vice. And she wore it now like a second skin, a familiar coat that she had worn most of her life. Just like she had been when she had met Ranma- alone and prideful. That was her very nature.

-

She had traveled several miles in a short amount of time, and had reached a village by the end of the day. It wasn't even a hard choice to decide to only stop briefly for supplies and keep moving on, instead of staying at an inn. Just spending a few minutes around complete strangers made her want to gag. Prolonged exposure always made her ill. Of course, sometimes it was the people you knew, and not the strangers, who hurt you the most. Shampoo paused as memories of her mother and father came unbidden into her head- memories that she had suppressed for years.

Shaking her head and refusing to think about her past, she shifted her pack on her back as she climbed higher up the hill through the forest trees. Since she refused to be around others, she had decided to take the path up through the woods for solitude. By the time Shampoo came across her first clearing, after reaching the denser part of the woods, it was dark and the moon and stars shone clearly up above.

Setting down her pack, she stretched and sighed. Her head tilted up as she stared at her surroundings, searching for weak points and areas that could be used to her advantage- or used against her. Finally, she decided on a tree off to the left, hidden mostly in shadow and with enough leaves to hide her when the sun rose, if she happened to oversleep. It had never happened before, but there was always the possibility. As an old saying went- there was a first time for everything. And the last thing she needed was that possibility to lead to a definite, and then have bad luck lead her enemies straight to her. She'd be dead before she could see the other elite guards again. And that was one thing she would _not _allow to happen. If she had to, she'd _drag_ out someone to be the new lord of the Castle East, just to see them all again. She wouldn't disobey orders, but she would do anything she could to see them again.

Shampoo leapt up to the tree she had chosen and settled herself comfterably into its branches- with her body fixed in a balanced position with her legs braced (so that in case she needed to get out of the tree in a hurry, she could), one hand near a short dagger strapped to her thigh, and her other hand bracing herself for a quick push off, if needed. Her pack remained on her back, so that she wouldn't have to worry about it. It was in that position that she allowed herself to fall asleep.

-early morning-

She woke to the sounds of birds twittering. Shampoo's eyes opened and immediately scanned her surroundings. No one was nearby, and she allowed her tense body to relax a bit. She shifted in her spot, deliberately making some noise to see if anything took notice. When nothing did, she waited a bit longer before leaping down from the tree.

She stretched her arms up to the sky and then allowed her pack to drop on the ground. Still alert, she put her body through the stretches that she did daily, no matter where she was. Just because she was no longer an elite guard (disbanded because of Ranma's orders) didn't give her an excuse to get lazy. If anything, she needed to be more wary now. People probably considered them leaving as a sign that they had abandoned them. _Well, let them think what they wanted. _The elite guards had only sworn loyalty to the lord and his lady, not to the whole castle. Because the lord had willed it, they had protected the Castle East, but only because they he had asked them to.

Shampoo began to strip off her outer clothes- she had heard a stream nearby yesterday and intended to clean herself off from her travels. She kept her weapons on her though- the dagger at her thigh and the throwing knives strapped to her upper arms. Clothes could be optional. Weapons were necessary.

As she approached the stream, pack in her hand, opposite of the hand that could reach for her short dagger, Shampoo remained watchful of her surroundings. She dropped the pack on a large rock and kicked a few good-sized pebbles near one of its sides. Stepping into the river, she sighed quietly. The water was cool and soothing to her feet. She stepped in farther.

-Sh-

He had been traveling towards the castle when he came across the bathing beauty. She had long purple hair down to her waist, and flawless skin. When she turned, he noticed that her face was just a lovely as the rest of her. And that was all he had time to notice as the beauty suddenly spotted him and threw knives at him with deadly accuracy.

He spun to avoid them, and they landed on the trees near him- exactly where his head and shoulders and heart had been. _Ouch._

He landed lightly on the balls on his feet and looked back to where the beauty was. _She wasn't there._

A sound came from his side and he barely had time to dodge her next attack. Most women would probably run after a guy seeing them half naked. Not this one.

He spun around and countered her kick with an arm block, her punch with another arm block, and her dagger with a fallen branch he snatched up from the ground. She kept up with his speed, pushing him back so fast that he was almost afraid of stumbling, and she continued to attack him with a vengeance. She swiped again and managed to cut his cheek. Another slash got his bicep. He tried once again to dodge her, but she anticipated his movements like no one had in the past three years. Whoever she was, she was _good_. He said the only thing that he thought might make her stop- and said it loud enough that she would without a doubt hear him.

"Stop! I'm an elite guard of the Castle West! What are you doing?!"

Most people wouldn't attack a castle guard on principle, if not out of fear of being hunted by the lord of the castle itself. And he was right. She stopped dead in her tracks. However, he soon found out that her reason for stopping wasn't what he thought it was.

-S-

When she had hiked to the northwest, Shampoo had done it with the belief that it was the most unlikely place that any of her or the elite guards' enemies would look for her. It was pretty far from the Castle East, and pretty close to the Castle West. Anyone else would have considered it a crazy and stupid place to stay. But her years of hiding made her know better- sometimes the places that seemed too obvious were the best. Sadly, that kind of thinking did not seem to apply to this person- this _male_.

She allowed her lip to curl back as she snarled her answer. _He_ obviously didn't know who _she_ was, or he wouldn't have said what he had said. Lucky her. Maybe he'd let his guard down and she could kill him. Or maybe she wouldn't have to wait for it. He didn't seem like that good a fighter anyway.

"You saw me, pervert!"

And lashed out at him again. He dodged again, but- and she noticed this with great satisfaction- only barely.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't aware that anyone was here!"

"A likely story! That an elite guard of any castle has stooped to vouyering is _despicable_!"

Her dagger ripped a cut at his chest, just above his abdomen, and she almost grinned. He wasn't as good as his position suggested after all. But suddenly, he had her wrists in his hands, and his feet on hers to hold her down. She couldn't _move_. Pure panic and fear ripped through her body and mind, shutting down her thoughts of everything but 'escape'. Never again would she be helpless and at someone's mercy. _Never._

With a harsh cry, she pushed her body forward, and spun sharply. Her hands twisted to grip his wrists, forcing him to release his own grip in the process, and she flung him with all her strength as far away from her as she could. Then she ran.

-Sh-

Shinnosuke sat up from his sprawled position on the ground, rubbing his head, which hurt along with several other body parts. He stared at the direction that the beauty had run. The strength that she had just shown, it was strength born of adrenaline- adrenaline from fear. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and slowly stood. He'd have bruises. And he had cuts that were bleeding.

He had to get back to the Castle West, he thought, abet, a bit hazily. He was suppose to tell the captain about what he had found at the Castle East.

-S-

Shampoo could still feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. She placed a hand to it as she tried to control her breathing. He hadn't followed her. She had run several miles to make sure of it. That last move had caught her off guard. She had underestimated him- had gotten too sure of herself to be careful. _Stupid._

It took a second for her to realize that she had left her pack behind. And her outer clothes as well. Shampoo cursed in Japanese, then Chinese. Her day was just getting worse.

-chapter end.

end of chapter notes: yes, Shampoo still sounds like Rumiko Takahashi intended, which you should all remember from the first chapter, but her thoughts and how she talks to everyone who is not the elite guard of the Castle East (and then, only when they're alone) sounds like everyone else. She doesn't talk in incomplete sentences and such around strangers and everyone else because it's an identifying trait that makes her easier to remember and track down and identify. And if you hadn't noticed, she seems to hate men. That'll eventually be explained, when I get more into the elite guards' pasts. Also, I know that in chapter one, I said that Shampoo could disappear into thin air, and some of you may wonder why she didn't when Shinnosuke saw her or after he "caught" her. Well, for one, she got really angry. And later, she was too terrified to think. Poor Shampoo... I gave her a tragic background because I thought that keeping her as a bubbly "hussy" (as Ukyo says in the manga) didn't fit the image of an elite guard. Plus, the story wouldn't be very serious with her in it, would it?

And to all those who wondered about Ryoga's position in the guard from the last chapter, he's the second-in-command. If anything were to happen to Ranma, he'd be in charge of the elite guards of the Castle East. But of course, he'd do nothing to sabotage Ranma to be it because he's loyal and trusts Ranma to be the best leader/captain he can be.


	5. Chapter 5 Kodachi's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

to my readers: I'm sorry this took so long to post. I ha it ready a long time ago, but had convinced myself that I'd post all the new chapters for my stories at the same time, thinking it'd motivate me to work faster. Obviously, that plan failed, so now I've just decided to post the next chapters that are completed for my stories thus far. Enjoy!

last minute note: the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.)

-5-

**Chapter Five: Kodachi's Journey**

Kodachi stretched out her arms to the sky and exhaled contently. She had just had a wonderful meal (different than the food Ukyo made, so that was an extra treat- something new was always interesting- at least, in Kodachi's opinion. not that she hated Ukyo's food, or anything. but she liked to experiment once in awhile.) and was still sitting at the table, deciding what she should do next. With it being her first time outside of the castle in a long time, Kodachi had taken it upon herself to do as much sightseeing as possible and bring back souvenirs for everyone when she returned, something that everyone would like.

It was such a relief to get away from all the politics and serving the lord (though it had to be through his death, which was unfortunate)- a breath of fresh air in her restricting life at the Castle East (not that spending time with the other elite guards was restricting, but the rest of the castle was)- that she had immediately headed out to the southern region. Her very first day was spent just walking in some random direction, and she hadn't actually decided what to do until the next morning, after waking up in a tree, when she had figured that the best way to stay invisible to any enemy was to be a tourist. Besides, it was something that she hadn't done in a long time and it would be fun.

She pulled some money out of her bag to pay for her meal before setting off down the street. Along the way, she stopped at a shop to look at some charms. They were cat charms, to be precise, and she immediately lost interest. No one is the elite guard would take one of them happily. Ranma despised cats, and so did Shampoo, although not as much as the captain. She found a Buddha figure among the cats, and was studying it when she felt a prickle on her skin. Someone- who wasn't a normal tourist- was in the shop.

As subtly as possible, she looked around, until her eyes landed on a man in rather dark clothes. He was talking to the man at the shop front- the store owner.

"Ah, Sasuke. Back again?" the man was saying to the dark-clothed one.

"Ah, yes. My master has been wondering if you happened to have that item again this month? He is in need of another."

"Certainly. It's over here."

The owner led the man named Sasuke to a shelf away from her, and Kodachi, although a bit curious by nature, did not want to look at whatever he was buying. Her face felt like it had drained of blood, and the Buddha figure almost slipped from her grasp. Sasuke? Another quick glance confirmed her suspicions. Even though it had been many years since she had seen him, there was no denying it- he was here.

She set the Buddha back down on the table and made for the door as inconspicuously as possible, not breathing a sigh of relief until she was five buildings away and out of plain sight.

Sasuke. The last time she had seen him hadn't been pleasant. It traced back to before she had joined the elite guard, back when she was still very young. Her father had been demented, evil to her. And he had wanted her to marry her cousin, whom she had never seen before, to strengthen some ties between the two noble families. When she had refused, he had slapped her- backhanded, and beat her. Sasuke had been left to deal with her, with all her cuts and bruises, and her wounds. She had escaped later that night, never to return. Sasuke's last words to her had been to "be submissive, as a true lady should, and marry right". How she had always despised how her upbringing and female status had paved her way for her- for a destiny that she had never wanted. And now it seemed that her father was in town.

It didn't take much thought for Kodachi to come to the conclusion that she couldn't stay in the town- not with the way things were. She couldn't risk running into her father, or Sasuke, who would never disobey an order from him and would definitely tell him that he had seen her. Thankfully, she had all she needed in her pack.

Cautiously and watchful, she made her way down the street. She would travel for three miles parallel to the direction of the Castle East, so that she was no farther away than before, but so that at the same time she'd have a good distance between her, Sasuke, and Sasuke's master- her father. Maybe then she'd feel more secure, and get back to doing some sightseeing and gift shopping.

-chapter end.

end chapter notes: yes, Kodachi does still have her maniac laugh- don't worry, I didn't take that part of her out. But you'll have to wait for it. She didn't really have much to laugh about in this chapter, if you haven't noticed.

ps. sorry this chapter is so short. Actually, ridiculously short. I really didn't want to put too much in here, nor could I think of too much to put in here. However, to make up for it, I will be posting my next chapter a lot sooner as an apology (be warned: it is also pretty ridiculously short. but, like this chapter, it reveals something important, which is why it is so short- for emphasis).


	6. Chapter 6 Mousse's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

to my readers: Thank you for being so patient in waiting for my update. I'm sorry it took so long.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are V, guards are G, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

-6-

**Chapter Six: Mousse's Journey**

Mousse stretched his muscles until they were limber. He looked up at the sky to check the position of the sun to tell the time, and then up to the tree that he had spent the night in and where his travel bag currently was. He sighed and scratched his head, ruffling his jet black hair that hung straight down to his shoulder blades without a single wave. It was a new day.

He had gone from the Castle East, torn between wanting to track down Shampoo, against Ranma's orders (though it was only a want. he wasn't stupid enough to disobey and possibly put both he and Shampoo in trouble by attracting too much attention. plus, it wouldn't be fair if he and Shampoo had someone to keep them company when all the other elite guards were on their own), and taking a really long nap until a new lord was found.

In the end, though, he did neither, choosing instead to use this forced seclusion as an opportunity to catch up on some things that he hadn't bothered doing as an elite guard. But now he had the time to pursue other... pursuits, and Mousse didn't like the idea of letting his time go to waste. He'd rather be doing something worthwhile, that way when he was reunited with the others, he would have something new to contribute to the group. Besides, he was sure that when they reunited, he wouldn't be the only one with new things to show. And he wanted to at last measure up to the others.

And so, Mousse grabbed his pack from its spot in the tree and set off down the road that led, he was sure, to a place that Akane had told him about a while back. It was a building belonging to a man who collected many books and scrolls from around Japan. If he was willing to take on a free job working as the man's helper (no pay), Akane assured him that he would be allowed access to the guy's collection. And as long as he did a good job and didn't ruin any of the man's possessions, he would be permitted to stay for as long as he liked.

The idea and goal of the matter was knowledge. With Akane gone, who use to talk to him often about everything she knew (and although he rarely enjoyed female company, it had never bothered him to be around her. they were pretty close friends, although he, like the others, all knew that Ranma was the only one she felt completely comfortable around, and who watched his moves like a hawk during those times. neither he nor anyone else had ever questioned the behavior of the captain, though, and Mousse was sure that it had something to do with Akane that he didn't, and probably wouldn't, ever know about. but then, they all had pasts that no one wanted to- and for the most part didn't- talk about), Mousse was feeling a bit lonely.

Sadly, though, when he reached the guy's home, the man wasn't there. He went to town for food and supplies, and returned to find the place occupied. So he knocked, lightly. Twice.

"Yeah?" a man's head stuck out the door and stared at him with piercing blue eyes- a foreigner. However, he did have black hair, which made for a striking and unsettling appearance. He didn't look old- perhaps in his early thirties, but for some reason he seemed so much older. He gave the presence of someone older. Mousse allowed himself a blink of surprise, a luxury when you were an elite guard and not normally allowed to show your true feelings, before speaking.

"Excuse me, kind sir, but I was told by a young woman a while back that if I ever needed some work in exchange for some knowledge that I may come here. I am willing to work hard for it."

The man studied him carefully before asking.

"And who was the fair lass that sent you?"

Mousse answered with the reply that Akane had given him, his mind trying to wrap itself around the odd password that they were speaking- one that he knew Akane sometimes used with others to ensure information got exchanged between her and someone she didn't know- passwords that proved to each other from prior knowledge that the sources were trustworthy.

"A fair maiden not, for she cannot be compared to a mere mortal. The lady I speak of is Akane. She says 'good tidings and good day' and hopes to see you some day soon again for tea."

At that, the man smiled and ushered him in. "She always was a good girl. I told her that if she ever sent someone to me, he'd have to praise her well, or I wouldn't allow him in." The man chuckled at his own joke and showed him a room down the hall, waving at it with his hand after opening up the door for him to see.

"You can sleep here, and put your stuff if you'd like. A bit further down is my collection and some such. Break anything and you pay for it. Steal something and I'll hunt you down and shoot you. But do a good job and you can read as much as you'd like. I want the room dusted and organized by tomorrow, and you make your own meals. Akane promised me a strapping young man would show up, if any. I guess you'll do." And with that, the old man turned to leave.

"Um, wait, kind sir." Mousse called after him. "I forgot to ask you name."

"My name's not important." The guy said, but he gave it to him anyway. "My name is Soun Tendo. If you care to find out more, you'll have to locate a few old journals in the back of the room there somewhere. I reckon that I still have it all in one piece." And with that, he turned back to wherever it was he was going, his footsteps fading down the hall as Mousse stared at him, wondering if the man treated Akane the same way he did him. He shrugged it off as a probably not and headed towards the room the man had indicated held all his books and such. He had a lot of work ahead of him. But at least, for the time being, his companion seemed like a nice guy.

-chapter end.

-end chapter notations: yes, this chapter is short. Like Kodachi's story, I intended it to be and I couldn't really think of how to extend it without delving too far into the pasts of the characters, which I want to slowly unfurl to my dear readers (some mystery is always good- keeps people interested and entertained), or without making the chapters loose some of their good parts and making it more dull and uninteresting.

Also, yes, Soun Tendo is who you think he is (at least, sorta). He has a genetic defect that left him with blue eyes (I know a pure Chinese man who this happened to. it's amazing to look at). He is really full Japanese, which Mousse will probably find out later on in the story. And other questions about him will be answered later in the story, hopefully, after all the elite guards are reunited (possibly sometime after chapter ten, if not sooner or later). Remind me if I forget, or ask if you really want to know.

The last elite guard character chapter what-are-they-doing-now story will be out as soon as possible (but not too soon, because I do have other stories to work in too. plus homework).

Oh, last minute thing. In case you were wondering, although Mousse is an elite guard, he has not had a really dark past as some of them and as a result, is a bit more friendly when on break. Though his loyalties still are only to the others of the Castle East elite guards, he gives normal people at least more of a chance without much suspicion.


	7. Chapter 7 Akane's Journey

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are V, guards are G, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

-7-

**Chapter Seven: Akane's Journey**

She was scrubbing the floors, her ears on alert for any conversation that she could hear- no matter how trivial it may seem. Sometimes, it was the little things you knew, more than the big things, that were the most valuable.

Her arms moved without her conscious thought, the task basic and easy enough that she didn't have to think about it to get it done well. Voices floated around her, snatches of conversations filling her ears.

"My father said that tomorrow I can get the new cloth..."

"... and everywhere I turned, there were beautiful flowers. I'll tell you, he really outdid himself on it. I was so..."

"Next time, I'll draw my sword like this and beat the guy with just a..."

"... to be seen like that. You should always..."

The many sounds of the busy residents of the Castle West chatter soothed her a bit. This was her element. Or, at least, a part of it. Listening and watching and gathering information. It was what she did best. And, as a spy, she had never gotten caught- so far.

It wasn't that she was working now. Not on a job. But it was just what she did. Information never stopped, never rested. So she always had her ears open. You could never tell when something interesting may come along, or what you could hear next. Besides, although the elite guard had disbanded under their captain's orders, they would be banded together again if and when a new lord was found. And then she would be what she was before. So she did need to keep in the loop, because it would be necessary later.

Currently, though, she was a hired servant maid of the Castle West. They had hired her when she had asked for the job, with no questions, just as she knew they would. A maid had quit not a week before, and she was well aware of how short-handed they were for help at the time. Besides, what better job could she ask for, being at the Castle West? It was one of the best ways to stay in the loop- in a castle where information was always being said and exchanged and held- but only if you knew where to look and how to listen. And Akane did. She wouldn't poke her nose into actual documents or anything, since she wasn't on a job (besides, each time you did that, there was a risk involved- one that, for now, she had no reason to take). But she would listen, and take everything in. Some people would be amazed by what they could learn just from listening and watching. You had to be aware. And speaking of being aware...

Footsteps approached, heavier footsteps than the others that not only signaled the arrival of a big man, but one weighed down by a lot of weight (for example, armor) and probably someone important- like a captain of the guard judging by the assumption of armor (not including the fact that nobles often ate more, and thus, were heavier in weight).

The heavy footsteps were followed by lighter footsteps, also probably male, although he was either smaller than the other man or wore less armor- or both. Since the floor that she was currently cleaning belonged to a section of one of the main paths used in the castle, she couldn't make very accurate assumptions here without risking being wrong- something that Akane, whose work relied on her accuracy, refused to be.

The men rounded the corner.

"Hold on. You're telling me that he was beaten by a woman?" a sort of deep and rough voice spoke.

Akane looked up slightly, enough for her to see them as they neared, but not for them to see her. It was a move that had to be perfected to work well, but was very useful when you did. It also helped that she had bangs.

She had been right about the big man (he was the one who had spoken). However, she had been wrong about the other. He was tall too, and muscled. His features weren't soft, either, and he too wore armor, although of a different color. His footsteps were light, though, which led her to the conclusion that he was the more skilled fighter. The colors they wore weren't hard to recognize, especially for her. The big man was the captain of the Castle West- the normal guards of the castle. And the other man, the one with the light steps... was the captain of the elite guard of the Castle West, none other than Herb himself.

Akane had only encountered Herb once, and it had been at least three years since then. She had been in the shadows and wearing a disguise too, so she was positive that he wouldn't remember her without some help- something familiar to jolt his memory- of which she had no intention of doing in any way, shape, or form. Nonetheless, she acted the part of any good maid and kept her head bowed and her mind seemingly on her work as they passed, only going back to looking at them from the corner of her eyes when they were now in front of her.

"She was not an ordinary girl to be able to wound Shinnosuke. You do realize that, don't you, Captain?" Herb leveled a gaze on the big man, who stuttered, obviously uncomfortable under said gaze. The sharpness of the look was reminiscent of Ranma, and Akane felt a twinge in the region of her chest at the thought.

"Of course. But that's what I'm saying. She could not be ordinary, which means that she might of been a spy from another castle."

"Or not." Herb replied, dismissing the man's idea as his own tone turned thoughtful. "I have heard that when the lord of the Castle East passed, their elite guards went into hiding. Quite clever, if do say so myself. And probably necessary. They have a lot of enemies; people that would attack the castle just to get to them. Of course, neither I nor any of my guards can claim to of met them before, but it is quite possible that the woman Shinnosuke saw was in fact one of them. And considering the fact that Shinnosuke encountered her on his way here, she must be somewhat close by, too."

Akane's hands almost faltered in her work. S_hampoo._ It would have to be Shampoo. She enjoyed solitude, whereas Kodachi and Ukyo both would of chosen to be around people, perhaps to soak up some new atmosphere, if not in an attempt to blend in. They didn't mind crowds. But Shampoo didn't, and she wouldn't. Along with Ranma, Shampoo would most likely seek the peace and quiet. Although Akane couldn't claim to know what Ranma was really doing, since he could pretty much blend in anywhere, and would just to throw anyone, even his own guard, off his course. But, Shampoo... It would have to be her that injured Shinnosuke (who Akane also happened to know was another Castle West elite guard).

Akane's heart ached at the thought. For Shampoo to attack someone, something must've happened to her. The young woman wasn't normally violent, and she always had a reason to what she did.

Shinnosuke had been returning from the woods from the northwest, which meant that Shampoo was fairly close by, as Herb had predicted. Maybe a day's hike away for someone like her. Akane would be able to reach the girl in less than 24 hours is she calculated the distance, the time since the attack, and factor in Shampoo's thoughts and habits.

Akane was mixed with feelings of sadness, elatedness, and worry. She couldn't go to see her companion, yet she knew that she was so close and had been in trouble. It tore at her heart. Although she preferred to stay away from as many people as possible and keep a cushion of distance between her and even the elite guards of the Castle East, she still felt loyalty and companionship towards them. And Shampoo, she had found out quite a while back, did not have an easy life. She could guess a handful of things that would probably cause Shampoo to attack someone, and none of them were pleasant.

-H-

He listened to Captain Mitsurugi drone on about how he must be allowing his guards to slack off if a woman, even one supposedly of an elite guard, could get the best of one of his "supposedly superior warriors". The man talked too much, and he had too much ego. Of course there would be people who were better than his guards. No one was invincible, and someone always existed out there who could beat someone else who was powerful. Herb scowled to himself. Even a woman. He may not like them much, but he would not let his pride blind him to truth. Unlike how Captain Mitsurugi was. Herb wanted to be nothing like the man- didn't like to even touch him with a stick. He was sure that even punching the man would be disgusting.

A movement caught the corner of his eye as he came to the next corner of the hall. Herb looked back and his steps faltered. It was the new maid girl, cleaning the floor. She was bent over on her hands and knees, and he couldn't see her face, but he felt a prickle run across his skin as he stared at her. The footsteps of Captain Mitsurugi began to fade with his voice as he moved away from Herb, obviously unaware that the other captain had stopped at all.

"I mean, really, Captain. I can't understand how you can let..." Mitsurugi's voice trailed off, and then "Captain...?"

Captain Mitsurugi's footsteps began to backtrack, annoyance tapping out a fast rhythm in his steps. Herb didn't bother to look at him, or even glance his way. He kept his eyes on the maid, brain whirling. Something about her seemed… out of place.

"Ah, the new maid." the captain said, his voice cutting through Herb's thoughts, sounding both bored, and dismissive. "If she interests you that much, why not just bed her and get it over with? I'm sure that she'll have no objections. After all, you _are_ the captain of the elite guard, and you have a pretty face." The last was said with a sneer in the captain's voice, but Herb ignored it since the man was being snide and jealous.

For some reason, though, what Captain Mitsurugi said annoyed him. He scowled at the man and turned away down the corner, his strides long and at a fast clipped pace, forcing the other captain to jog to keep up with him. It gave Herb a petty feeling of satisfaction that, sadly, he was in no mood to enjoy. And his mind was too occupied with what the captain had said to even try to.

It wasn't that he was attracted to her. He had never really been attracted to women before. Not that he was into men. But it was just that most companionship wasn't that important to him (with the only exception being his guards, of course. Without them, he'd gladly be a loner. But back to Captain Mitsurugi…).

"There's something off about that girl." Herb said, speaking to himself out loud, his expression thoughtful and a hand to his mouth as he thought.

"What?" Captain Mitsurugi said, his breath beginning to come short as he tried to keep up with Herb's still fast-clipped pace. Herb ignored him.

"I should get Shinnosuke to look into it, perhaps." Herb continued, still to himself.

"Look into what?" Captain Mitsurugi asked, still huffing to keep up.

"Or maybe he would know..."

"Captain? _Captain?_ Look into _what_?"

Herb still ignored him. He'd ask Shinnosuke about it later.

-chapter end.

end chapter notations: sorry that this turned out to be an equal part Herb story as it was Akane. But rejoice- the end of the guards' time apart draws near! (I hope you didn't actually think I'd keep them apart.) Also, sorry if you think that this chapter is a little short. Since this is a fairly in-depth story in general, I wanted to end it on a fairly light (comical) note for once, and captain Mitsurugi gave me that opportunity.

ps. Ranma does not really have a chapter dedicated to what he has been doing all the time that the elite guards have been separated. His story merges with the reunion of the elite guards.


	8. Chapter 8 Reunion

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) leave the castle and decide go separate ways until a new lord is found

to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are V, guards are G, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

-8-

**Chapter Eight: Reunion**

Ranma was in the dense woods in a forgotten part of Japan. No one had set foot in the area in years, and nature had taken back all the structures that had been left, growing over all the ruins of long lost homes and public buildings. Not one soul knew that such a place existed anymore. No one but Ranma. It was his- his sanctuary, and, if he lasted through to old age and had the choice, his final resting place where no one would find him.

Ranma's limbs moved with a fluid motion that came from many long years of intense practice and skill as he went through the motions of a martial art exercise. His face was the epitome of complete concentration as his muscles moved, taunt with control. Sweat glistened off his bare torso as the sun shone down through the branches above. It had been hours since he had last stopped for a break. And it had been over a day since he had rested his eyes.

Ranma never slept much, or for long periods of time. He was the most watchful, the most alert, of all the guards. And the most silent. As a captain, most people thought that his traits hindered him from being a true leader. But as the captain of the _elite guard_, it suited him well. Ranma knew that all of his guards were more than capable of making their own decisions. They didn't need him to give them orders like "Your turn to stand guard" or "Attack him".

In fact, it had come as a surprise to Ranma when he had been chosen to lead the elite guard of the East. With the responsibility, he had taken on the job of watching after and protecting the few people in his life that trusted him to keep them safe from harm. No, they didn't truly need him to order them around. But they trusted him to keep an eye out for them, so that they could relax sometimes. When they had all experienced how cruel the world was, that kind of trust wasn't easy to earn from people like them.

Ever since the decision, Ranma had made a conscious effort to always keep the rest of the elite guards in his sight. When he had first met them, he had known right away that they were unique. Not just because of their abilities, but because of their strength of personality and their pasts. More so than anyone else he had ever met. They were special people, and, to him, the only people left worth protecting with his life.

What would they all be doing now? He could only guess. Shampoo and Ryoga would most likely be in a secluded area, far from human contact. Mousse would probably do research, and Kodachi was probably sightseeing. Ukyo was cooking, obviously, and Akane...

Ranma allowed his legs to fold out from under him so that he could sit on the grass-cushioned ground. He ran a hand through his messy hair, pushing it back from his forehead, and allowed his breath to leave his mouth on a sigh. _Akane._ Most of all, he missed Akane.

A memory of her standing alone, among numbers of fallen male bodies, came to his mind, unbidden. It had been the first time he had seen her. She had been attacked by about a dozen men, most of them over a head taller and at least a hundred pounds heavier than her. And before he had been able to go to help her, she had lashed out at them and defeated them with ease. Then she had gazed coolly into his eyes, both challenging and waiting for what he would do, and he had known. He had known that she...

A sound didn't alert Ranma so much as the sudden absence of sound did. There was an intruder. Someone who wasn't that skilled at hiding his, or her, presence in the area. Someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

Ranma slowly rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the area with methodical care, missing nothing. A breeze whispered through the tree branches, shaking the leaves gently.

He moved to the closest tree, careful to make no sudden movements that would give away his position (if he hadn't already been spotted), and swung himself gracefully into the sturdy branches, landing with almost inhuman care to make as little sound and movement as possible. His eyes caught a flash of something, and he focused most of his attention on it, cautious to leave some of his senses still scanning the area around him in case it was a trick or trap. But no. The invasion had been genuine. Several meters away, he saw a large bird flying, one he recognized, but that was rare to the area (which explained why the area went silent; unknown predators never went unseen in the forest).

Leaping lightly from the tree, he waved it over. Spotting him, the bird flew onto his outstretched hand. The hawk was a common form of communication among Akane's informant friends, used for when they didn't know the location of someone who they had communicated with before, because the bird was a good searcher and could fly long distances. Since they were predators, not restricted to the ground, and fast, it would be the best way to reach him even if it was slightly risky that someone who knew about birds (and knew that it wasn't part of the area) would spot it. He smiled slightly, a memory of Akane using one in the past coming to his mind, before he mentally shook his head and reached for the note attached to the bird's leg.

The hawk hopped to his shoulder, where it gripped tightly with sharp talons, but Ranma didn't mind, blocking out the pain and making a mental note to treat the sure puncture wounds later. He unrolled the message and read it before smiling slightly again.

Ranma looked up towards the sky and the position of the sun, calculating how long he could travel before sunset came. Then he dismissed the thought, giving the bird an absent stroke. Forget dark. He would keep going until he reached there.

Finally, a new lord had been found.

-M-

Mousse looked up from cataloging the books on another of Mr. Tendo's many shelves, a stack balanced in one hand (he could see why Akane and the old man got along so well- they shared a keen interest in knowledge) when he heard the sound of the signal.

A group of three people passed by the window of the room he was in, and their conversation drifted through the opening.

"I heard that they found a new lord for the Castle East."

"Yes. Can you believe it? I thought it'd take forever!"

"Well, they managed to find someone who was distantly related. He had to travel quite a ways to get there."

"Do you think that means the elite guards will return?"

"I think so. Don't you, Mr. M?"

At the sound of the abbreviation, Mousse's ears perked up, now sure of it. Akane must've heard that a new lord had arrived and was sending the word to him. If anyone could find him, it'd be her.

Mousse had to stop himself from swinging the window open all the way and confronting the messengers. One of the rules of informants was that unless they showed their face to you, you never looked, because they all worked in secret and some didn't, or couldn't, let you know who they were. Some even went so far as to change their voices when they delivered a message.

He resisted the urge to jump them and shake them down for anything else they might know- how Akane was and if she knew how everyone else was doing, and everything else he could think of regarding his companions. But one, they wouldn't talk (informants would never talk about anything except their message, unless they wanted to, even under threat of torture (not that he had ever done that before)). And two, he was too excited about seeing the others to waste the time, when he'd be finding out for himself soon. Besides, sometimes the messenger was just that- a messenger, and wasn't privy to any other information than that.

Carefully, Mousse set down the stack of books in his arms, before almost running out of the room. He scooped up his bag, which he had never really unpacked, and had reached the main hallway when he almost ran into Mr. Tendo.

"Leaving?" the old man asked him, a small smile on his face, no doubt from Mousse's appearance, who was covered in dust and probably had a slightly wild, elated look on his face, with a stupidly wide grin to match.

"Yeah."

Mousse shifted from foot to foot, slightly embarrassed that he had almost forgotten to say goodbye to the man who had generously allowed him to stay, all because he had been so eager to see him comrades again. He should know to act better than this. He was- had been, an elite guard, after all (because technically, unless this new lord wanted them and was trustworthy, he and the others wouldn't be elite guards again. but he really couldn't worry about that now, when he was eager just to see everyone's faces again), and here he was, acting like a kid.

"Um... Sorry it's on such short notice, but I really have t-" Mousse began, bowing a goodbye to Mr. Tendo, when a white envelope was thrust right in front of his face and only his reflexes stopped him in time before he hit into it face first.

"Give this to Akane when you see her." Mr. Tendo said, and when Mousse looked up, he was smiling. "I may not know what that girl is ever up to, but she always ended her visits by rushing out of here to somewhere important. I figured you had to do the same and promised myself to honor the code and not ask. But if you happen to come across her..."

Mousse took the envelope with a smile of his own. He couldn't tell the man that he was on his way to meet her right now, but he didn't have to lie either.

"When I happen to see Akane, I'll be sure to give it to her."

"Thank you, young man. If you ever need a place to stay again, don't hesitate to come here."

"Thank you, Mr. Tendo."

Mousse bowed to him and turned, leaving the house filled with books that he had studied and stacked, cataloged and skimmed. He stopped shortly after passing the threshold, stretching and breathing in the fresh air before letting out a deep, content sigh and continuing on to the main road with a big smile on his face. Break had been fun, but there was nothing like the feeling of going home.

-S-

Shampoo was perched in a tree, lounging and wasting her time eating an apple, when she heard a sound below.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, her eyes caught movement, and her hand snatched out to catch whatever had been heading her way. The move spun her in her seat and was so fast that even to the untrained eye you could tell that it was all reflex.

She stared down in the direction of the shooter, only to be greeted by Kodachi's smiling face, a hand waved in salutation.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else." Kodachi called, smirking.

"Oh, you so insolent!" Shampoo called back, before dropping out of the tree to land gracefully at her comrade's feet, her pack slung on her back. But inside, she was smiling. If it had been anyone else except another former elite guard, she would have been worried that her skills were slipping. As her feet hit the ground, she flung the small rock back at the black-haired girl, who dodged it with ease.

"Maybe I blame you why I no hear about message to return!" she said with a flip of her hair.

"Aww, don't be mad! See? Akane sent me the message to get you and everything!"

Shampoo turned back to her, curious, and sure enough, Kodachi held a paper with directions to the area that she was in. That girl never failed to amaze Shampoo with how she knew things she should have never been able to know.

"I've been searching for you for an hour!" Kodachi said, taking the note and stuffing it back into her pocket.

"Well what waiting for?" Shampoo grinned, snatching the paper from Kodachi and sprinting away. "Let's go!"

-Ry-

He had just finished stuffing the rest of his belongings in his pack when he heard the birds chirping. Slinging the pack over his shoulder, he stepped outside, only to encounter a ray of sunshine directly in his face.

Ryoga flinched, shielding his eyes against the sudden onslaught, before smiling at the irony. The sun had finally shone on his days alone, and now he was returning to the Castle to see everyone.

-A-

She hiked up the hill, almost to the castle. Only a few miles to go. The hawks she had sent out to Ranma and Ryoga soared overhead, having both returned to her with a blank sheet of paper- the signal from her former captain and comrade to let her know that he had received the message.

Akane listened to the rhythmic thumping of her pack against her back and her breath, enjoying the feel of sunshine and sweet, fresh air away from the perfumes of the inner walls of the Castle West. Most of her journey was complete, and she was almost there.

_She was almost there._

-U-

She hugged Tsubasa good-bye, having packed her stuff in a hurry after receiving the message from one of Akane's informants about the new lord. Ideally, she'd work a bit longer to throw off suspicion that she could be an elite guard (although the talk about them leaving the castle had died down a bit since she had arrived), but with all the comings and goings as of late, she doubted that anyone would make the connection in this place.

Giving Tsubasa a final treat of her newest special okinomiyaki, Ukyo waved good-bye to everyone that she had met during her stay as she left the building behind and headed for the road. She had a bit of a way to go to return to the castle, but she didn't mind. Soon, they'd all be together again, and that was all that mattered. Hopefully, this new lord would be worthy of serving. She didn't think she'd be able to stand it if she'd have to leave everyone behind again.

-chapter end.

end chapter notations: I didn't want to actually put the reunion in this chapter because I was afraid that it'd get extremely long. I hope you enjoyed this chapter update, and I hope you'll all look forward to the next chapter, featuring the elite guards return to the Castle East!


	9. Chapter 9 Routine

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) return to the Castle East after word that a new lord has been found to take over

to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are v, guards are g, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

ps. Also, sorry it's so short. I should be updating again soon, once I update my other stories.

-9-

**Chapter Nine: Routine**

It was early morning when the regular guards of the Castle East went outside to train. It was a daily routine, designed to keep them all in shape. As they filed out, all in their practice gear, they were greeted by a sight that they hadn't seen in over a month- the elite guard practicing on the grounds, still in the same spot away from the other guards practice area as if they had never left.

This irked some of the guards- the ones that thought that the elite guard were stuck up and full of self importance. They were all back- Ranma, the expressionless one that was always seemed to see too much and never appeared to sleep; Akane, the pretty young woman who talked to no one, especially men , and had cold eyes; Ryoga, the solemn and menacing-looking one; Kodachi, the crazy maniac; Shampoo, the one who looked at all men with scorn; Mousse, the methodical and secretive one; and Ukyo, the cook, who appeared the most normal one of all, although some swore that she had originally come to the Castle dressed as a boy all those years ago.

The elite guards rarely talked to anyone in the castle. If someone said hello to them, the most they normally did was nod in acknowledgment. Most of the castle residents, guards included, gave them a fairly wide berth for that reason alone. They seemed very unapproachable.

When they had first appeared, several years ago to serve the lord and his lady, some of the men had tried to hit on Kodachi, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Akane. Any and all had been promptly rejected. Sometimes, even violently, as the rumors went. The same thing had happened with Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse. Women had asked, but they had never not been rejected, in one way or another. This solitary living, while inside the castle which was filled with people, unnerved more than a few of its residents.

No one had ever doubted that the elite guard were in a different league from normal people. The only question was what that league was. And that didn't even include the rumors about their combat the fact that their practices on castle grounds had always seemed normal, their expressionless faces and the coldness in their eyes spoke of something more.

Some of the newly recruited guards spotted the elite guards and honed in on the females of the group. Confidently, they strolled over to them, not yet aware of who it was they were approaching, although maybe not caring. There were no females in the regular castle guard, and the idea of females training and protecting the castle was obviously an unusual sight and practice. To a few, it was unacceptable because they saw women as too weak. To others, it was strangely appealing.

The rest of the guards watched, unwilling to call them back. There were always rumors about the elite guards circling around the castle, and all the new recruits had been told about them, despite the fact that the elite guards hadn't been there when they had been recruited. If they still chose to try, the other guards weren't going to stop them. Sometimes, you had to learn thought error and ignorance.

There was no doubt in their minds as to what was going to happen. It wasn't the first time, as it probably wouldn't be the last. Besides, it was a good way for some of the cockier recruits to gain some humility. And, most of the time, the new recruits came away without a scratch anyway.

-eg/D-

"Hello there. Are you a guard too?"

Akane looked up from her leg stretches at the guy who spoke to her from her spot on the ground. When she didn't speak, he continued, undeterred by her silence.

"I'm new around here. My name's Daisuke." He stuck out his hand. Whether to offer to help her to her feet or to shake her hand, didn't matter though. Akane didn't take it. She just stared at him, as if waiting for him to leave. But her facial features remained neutral, so Daisuke wasn't sure.

The guy, Daisuke, chuckled nervously, and looked around him. His eyes were immediately drawn to the intensity of a pair of emotionless blue eyes staring directly at him. Ranma especially was watching him closely.

Immediately, Daisuke shifted his eyes away. Another of the new guards, Hiroshi, was trying to talk to Shampoo, also with no luck. When Hiroshi tried to put his hand on the girl's shoulder, she dodged it effortlessly and gave him a hard stare. Ukyo came to stand next to Ryoga, who was watching with arms crossed. Mousse stood by Shampoo.

It didn't take a genius to realize that the elite guards didn't trust the two new recruits near any of them. Instead of continuing to practice while Daisuke and Hiroshi approached them and just watch out of the corner of their eyes like most people would do, they had stopped completely to give the two their full attention, unembarrassed of what anyone who saw them thought as they created a united front against these strangers.

"Ah heh." Daisuke chuckled nervously, practically fidgeting in his spot.

"Aren't you guys guards too? What are you doing all the way over here?" he asked, his eyes moving around, nervous, as he tried to strike up a conversation with the odd group of people.

"And where's your practice gear?" he added, curiously, suddenly noticing the anomaly. His gaze lingered just a little too long at Akane's chest, and he jumped as the sound of the shift of Ranma's feet reached his ears.

"Ah. Heheh. Sorry. I was just curious. About the armor, I mean. err, lack of armor. Um..."

He grew noticeably more uncomfortable as they continued to stare at him, eyes seeming to not blink, completely focused on him and Hiroshi, who shifted to stand by his side, also nervous. Having obviously worn out their welcome, he decided it'd be best to retreat for the day.

"Eh heh. Um... sorry."

And with that, the two guards turned tail and walked back to their group even quicker than they had trotted over.

-L-

The new lord sat in his main room, his face hidden by shadow, all his advisers around him. They murmured to each other- a sound that quieted as the door slid open to admit a messenger. Their eyes followed him as he approached the lord.

"My lord, it seems that the elite guard have returned."

The advisers stepped forward, mixed expressions evident on many of them. All of them had either heard of or seen the elite guards.

One of the new advisers (one who had been hired recently, soon before the previous lord of the castle had died) spoke up first.

"What should we do with them? If the recent rumors are true, they are cowards, and not worth the money it takes to have them around."

To that, one of the old advisers (who had been there and advised the previous lord for a while before his death) spoke.

"Now see here! Those guards served our former lord well and deserve more respect than that. They have always remained loyal to our previous lord, staying by his and the lady's side."

"But, are they loyal to our new lord?"

The advisers were silent in thought, even the older ones having to contemplate if this was true. No one could have claimed to know much about any of the elite guards, even those that had been there since they had first arrived.

Finally, the lord spoke.

"Bring them in. I want to deem for myself if they are worthy or not."

-m-

"The lord requests an audience with you." the messenger relayed to the elite guards, whom he had found practicing outside on the castle grounds, just like he had been told.

They all looked at him, silent, their stares making him nervous.

"Um... H-He wants to see you in the main room right away." he stuttered, overcome by the intensity he saw in their orbs.

The guy with his hair tied back in a braid stood up from his crouch, surprising the messenger with his movement, and began walking toward the castle. Silently, the other elite guards followed, leaving the messenger standing alone, wondering if they were actually going to see the lord at all.

end chapter.


	10. Chapter 10 Lord's Orders

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) return to the Castle East after word that a new lord has been found to take over

to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are v, guards are g, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

-10-

**Chapter Ten: Lord's Orders**

They filed into the audience chamber one by one, and he was surprised to see some among them were female. Of course, he had heard rumors about the existence of female guards- elite guards from some of the other major castles, but it had never occurred to him that_ this _castle would have some as well. As far as he knew, all the regular guards here were male. So that would mean that the elite guards of the Castle East housed the only female guards in the whole east region, which he resided over.

According to the rumors, the female elite guards were just as capable as the male elite guards, although he couldn't say so just by looking at them. They looked fit, but... it was hard to judge since had never seen a female warrior before to set a baseline with. Certainly, they did not look overtly brawny and masculine as he had expected. Even the men in the group didn't seem in any way different than some of the regular guards- no unnaturally large bodies or anything else that indicated that they were extraordinarily strong. It was not his policy to judge people based on their appearances alone, but...

He found his eyes being drawn to one guard in particular. She had short hair so black that it had blue highlights, and delicate features set in a serious and direct expression. She was extremely attractive, with a curvy build. He felt all his attention being drawn towards her inadvertently. There was something about her that was just... compelling.

Her brown eyes met his, and he found himself automatically looking away, as if he was caught doing something that he shouldn't be. It must've been from the intensity of her stare. She had looked at him as if she could see right through his skin and into his minds. As if she knew his every thought.

It was then that his eyes landed on another of the female guards- one with her hair pulled back in a side ponytail. Again, he felt something unusual, although this feeling was different than the last one. He had the strangest notion that he had seen her somewhere before... She looked back at him with an unblinking stare that only seemed to increase the feeling of familiarity he got from her.

"My lord?"

The voice of one of his advisers had him pulling his thoughts back into place to discover that all of the elite guards were staring at him with identical unreadable and intense expressions. He found himself clearing his throat nervously before addressing them.

"Welcome. I'm glad that there was no trouble with the castle during the grace period between lords. My predecessor seems to have left very good instructions with you all."

Silence.

"Ah, my lord." one of his advisers leaned closer to him so that he could whisper. "The elite guards weren't here during the grace period. They had left to parts unknown until now. This is the first time that we have seen them since the death of Lord Tsuruga and Lady Kyoko. He had left no instructions with them that we know of."

Ah, right. In his nervousness, he had forgotten about that. For some reason, being around these people, these elite guards, seemed to be throwing him off his usual pace.

He looked back at the the seven of them. Somehow, uncomfortably, he got the impression that despite his adviser's whisperings, they had heard what he said. But still, their expressions didn't change, as if there was nothing wrong with just disappearing from and arriving again on castle grounds, despite the fact that guards by definition swore their loyalty to the lord of a castle. That was what made a guard a guard. Still, he didn't want to lose an important asset like elite guards over something that was trivial in comparison to treason if he could help it (although some would consider it just that). Elite guards would definitely be beneficial to have on his side. Especially considering the seeming increase of bandits around recently. Plus, they would provide a nice backing when he dealt with the other main castle lords like the Castle North and the Castle South, both of whom, to his knowledge, had no elite guards of their own.

"Ah. Well then, thank you for returning. The benefits of having an elite guard at this castle once more will most certainly keep our enemies at bay."

One of the elite guards, at this, spoke up. His black hair hung to his shoulder blades, and his expression did not change as he spoke.

"We did not say that we were staying. Our loyalty is not, nor ever had been, to the Castle East."

While this news, given in a quiet voice that nonetheless seemed to fill the room, took him by surprise, at the elite guard's words several of the regular guards who stood post at the doorway bristled, as well as the majority of his advisers.

"Is that any way to speak to the lord of the castle?"

"Show him respect! Without him, you wouldn't be here right now!"

"If you have any pride as guards, you would know that your only loyalty is to the castle you serve!"

One glance at the lot of them from the one who had spoke had their voices quieting. When it was once again silent, he spoke.

"We do not serve any organization. Before they passed, we had served Lord Tsuruga and Lady Kyoko faithfully. But we have not yet decided if we shall do the same this time."

" 'Yet'? " he couldn't help but ask, wanting to appear as calm and together as they were, but finding it difficult. It appeared that the rumors already circulating around the castle at the elite guards' return held at least some truth to it. They were not like anyone else he had ever encountered. And what was more, he wasn't sure what exactly to make of their expressions. They guarded their emotions so closely that he couldn't even tell what they were thinking- about him, their situation, or even about each other. They all stood somewhat equidistant apart, and, having been from a family that was used to dealing with all sorts of people and situations while themselves sitting in a position of power, he knew that it was unusual for a group that was supposedly as close-knit as they were to put that sort of distance between themselves.

"Yes." the same elite guard answered again. The other elite guards seemed content to let him speak, for they didn't make any move to add their own words to his.

"We have not decided yet."

"I've been told that this castle is the same as when the previous lord and lady resided here." the lord found himself saying, interested in the elite guard's choice of wording and unable to restrain his curiosity.

The advisers murmured their agreement. When he had first arrived, he had been given a brief history and status report of how the castle had been running since the previous lord and lady's passing. They had made sure that he was up to date on everything that had been going on since the previous lord and lady's passing.

"What do you need to decide on?" he concluded, unable to help himself.

The guard's piercing look, along with the other six's, gave him his answer.

_On you_.

He found himself at a loss for words._ They were judging him_. Mere guards of the castle, no matter how elite, were going to pass judgment on_ him_. To see if _he_ was worthy of their services. Their loyalty. Their respect and their lives. Even though he was a lord of a castle. A castle that, up until then, they had served. And to think, he had had them called in for the exact same reason.

The lord felt a smile try to make its way to his face, but he didn't want to let the guards and advisers, much less the elite guards, guess his emotions. He liked these people. They were interesting. Much better than everyone else he'd met since coming here and becoming the lord, who followed him blindly and never raised any kind of opposing voice or opinion.

"Well then," he began, extending his hand towards them, although not expecting any of them to come close enough to shake it. They didn't. Not a single one of them moved an inch. Nor did they jump and reach for their weapons, like he had known some overtly jumpy, anxious, non-trusting people to do. They were either very controlled or they didn't see him as a threat. Either way, the fact that they had no reaction was even more interesting than if they had had one.

"My name is Tatewaki Kuno. I am looking forward to the results of your observations."

At this, the elite guards left the room, moving, it seemed, as a single unit, but without the normal guards orders telling each where to go, or even giving a signal that they were leaving. Interesting.

Kuno put his head on his hand, his elbow leaning on the armrest of his chair.

He wondered what they'd be looking for, watching for, in him that would give them what they needed to make up their minds.

As the door to the room closed behind them, he couldn't help the smile from appearing on his face any longer.

"They didn't even say good-bye."

-eg-

As they left the main room, the elite guard, as a group and without hesitation, walked towards one of the far corridors, to the same room that they had left the castle in the last time that they had met.

They filed in quietly, and once the door was closed, they took up positions similar, if not identical, to those that they had had on the day that they had decided to leave the Castle East. All of them had noticed that Kodachi seemed uneasy upon first spotting the lord, and she had only become moreso upon him mentioning his name to them. However, none of them spoke, waiting for Kodachi to tell them herself why she was feeling that way. She did not have to speak, of course, and they would respect her wishes either way. But perhaps it was because they had been away from each other for so long, they knew that she would want to speak to them about it- that she would want to tell them, if just as an excuse to talk to them after having their presence absent in her life for one of the longest times since they had all first met. In truth, it hadn't been the longest that they had gone without seeing each other, for they did have long missions away from the Castle East and each other when they had served Lord Tsuruga, but then, they had known that they would see each other again after the mission was over. This past time, they hadn't been sure that they'd ever meet again, and it gave them a sort of anxiety that they hadn't experienced when separated before.

"Tatewaki..." Kodachi began, her voice soft so as not to be overheard by anyone not inside the room they were in. "is the name of my cousin on my mother's side. My mother's sister had an illegitimate child with a higher ranking man, and Tatewaki was born. Of course, my father, wanting to better his position, wanted me to marry the guy. We had only met once."

She turned her head towards the direction of the window, looking out, but not seeing anything in particular. She knew she could relax her guard, because the others were there to pick up the slack for her, even though it was just temporarily. They didn't mind, when it involved one of their own.

"He does not know that we are related. His father never found out that my mother is the sister of the woman he slept with, because he never met with my aunt again after the child was born. He took Tatewaki from her to raise as his own because his wife was sterile."

She closed her eyes briefly, as memories came rushing back. No one moved to comfort her, knowing that she would not welcome the physical touch when painful memories were so close to the surface.

"My father planned to marry me to him no matter what. If necessary, he was going to use blackmail and tell Tatewaki's father what he knew and who he'd spread the information to, if I did not become the chosen bride. But I escaped before then, although that was not the only reason for my departure."

Her eyes opened, the intensity and clarity returning as her strong personality took over.

"And now it's in the past."

There was a silence, as the other guards gauged Kodachi's expression and her body language, before they inclined their heads towards her, as a way of comfort and respect.

Yes, it was in the past, and it couldn't hurt her anymore, as long as she didn't let it. They all had horrible pasts, and they had all fought to put those memories behind them. The knowledge and experience that they had gained from their pasts had made them stronger, had helped shape them into what they were today. They were not living in the past. they were moving forward- together.

end chapter.


	11. Chapter 11 Campfire

"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.

summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).

disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)

so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) return to the Castle East after word that a new lord has been found to take over

to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.

last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are v, guards are g, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.

-11-

**Chapter Eleven: Campfire**

It was ten at night when Shampoo rose from her bed. Her night wear was nothing revealing, but no one was going to see her anyway, so it didn't really matter if it was.

Her feet made no sound as she walked to her window, and the frame made no noise as she opened it, bringing her feet up onto the sill, perfectly balanced, and leaping lightly onto the grass. Even though no unusual sounds reached her sensitive ears, she was aware that she wasn't alone. It took her only a second, if that, to spot Mousse on the roof, hidden partially by shadows. Since they knew the night guards routines by heart (even though they had been away for a while, since it only took a short study during the day to understand the standard routine anyway), and because their five senses were all finely tuned from years of fighting, ready to warn them in case of danger, neither felt the need to move just yet. They just looked at each other, glad for the long denied company, before finally silently moving off into the woods that were nearby, to their destination.

It didn't take them long to reach the clearing- a spot that was too small to normally fit more than two person with camping full gear, yet, fit all of the elite guards perfectly, along with a fire. If it was anyone but the elite guards, it wouldn't of worked. No one else would of shared so little space together and of been completely comfortable with it.

Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo were already there, with Ranma tending to the fire, one girl at each side of him. Just as Mousse and Shampoo sat down, side by side next to Ukyo, Ryoga came into the small clearing and joined them. No one spoke, but they all knew that their feelings were mutual- they were happy to be back together again, and relieved. What would of seemed like a small vacation to anyone else had been torture for them, for every second they had been away from each other. It was in the way that Shampoo and Mousses' eyes met, in how Ukyo fed the fire and how Ryoga handed her the wood, in how Kodachi was sitting back on her hands, and how Ranma leaned forward just a bit and how Akane leaned towards him slightly.

Since none of the elite guards tended to be touchy-feely sorts of people, it spoke volumes that they would voluntarily spend any length of time near other people. The fact that all of them were sitting so close and comfortable showed just how close they really were. Of course, if they had been anywhere near any other humans, they would of put much more space between them, as to keep others from knowing about how emotionally close they really were and that they had any sort of weaknesses. Because their world was too much of a dangerous place to put comfort above safety with any kind of crowd. But alone, they were free of those confines, though their own personalities were not that sociable so it didn't seem to much of a difference anyway.

No one spoke, because it reminded them too much of how they had waited to be together again, of how much they had suffered. But silence was nothing new to the elite guards. They didn't need words to communicate with each other.

The fire crackled and, feeling more safe and comfortable now that they were all together again, the elite guards began to relax and drift off to sleep. Ranma watched as his companions eyes began to close, knowing that since they were all in one place, they would allow themselves to go a bit deeper into their dreams, let themselves relax a little bit more, because they no longer had to look out for themselves all on their own since they were surrounded by those that they trusted the most with their lives.

Soon, Shampoo's chest rose and fell with even breaths that indicated that she had given in to a peaceful sleep. Mousse sat with his back to a tree, and Ukyo and Shampoo both had leaned towards him for support. Even as vulnerable as they appeared in their sleep, Ranma knew that the limp open hand at Shampoo's side could be deceiving, as was the fact that Mousse looked hindered, trapped, by Shampoo, Ukyo, and the tree. But even more that, they all trusted Ranma to watch over them as they dozed, even while they were subconsciously keeping alert themselves. One odd sound, and they'd be awake, alert, and ready. It was a habit born from a life they could never fully leave behind.

-RA-

Ranma and Akane were quiet as they watched their most trusted companions. But silent didn't mean content. If anything, their emotions were the most strong. They were both more than relieved that everyone was together again, perhaps even more than the rest of their group. They had missed each other most of all. Of the guards, Akane and Ranma were the closest to one another. None of the elite guards knew why, but they didn't question it. Sometimes, it was the fact that they didn't know and still trusted each other with their lives that spoke the greatest volumes. The fact that they kept secrets from each other didn't bother them. They were in it together, for better or worse.

Akane leaned her head on Ranma's shoulder and closed her eyes, just wanting to feel her captain's solid strength. Relief coursed through her, but she wasn't tired. After all the time she had spent away, she'd rather stay awake with Ranma as long as possible, reminding herself that he was there with her. She was glad that everyone was together. But she knew that if Ranma hadn't been there when she had returned, she would have still felt empty. Emptier than if any of the others hadn't returned. It sounded bad, yes, but it was true.

After a while, Akane felt Ranma tilt his head and breathe in the scent of her hair. She didn't look up in his face though, but continued to stare down. Her hand twined its fingers with his, until their palms touched. The warmth. The closeness. It was all she needed. Slowly, eventually, she closed her eyes, sighing softly. There was no visible smile, but her body relaxed into his and her breathing became deeper. She had fallen asleep.

-R-

Ranma started down at the top of Akane's head. He rubbed his cheek gently across the strands, giving himself in to the feel of her even as his other senses were on alert. He took another deep breath, pulling in the scent. Content, though his expression did not change. More happy than seemed possible that she was by his side. And more relieved than rational that she was okay.

Ranma's body relaxed and his breathing evened out. But, even though he seemed deeply asleep, whenever the plants around them rustled, his fingers of the hand not holding Akane's twitched. And when Akane shifted in her sleep to get more comfortable, his body leaned back more to accommodate her position.

-1 hour before dawn-

The fire, which had died long ago, was covered with dirt, its branches scattered and hidden, so that no one who crossed its path would realize that it had once been a spot that housed flame. The elite guards were already up and preparing to leave, back to their "assigned rooms" in the castle so that no one would be the wiser in knowing that they had sneaked off. It wasn't because they opposed the hospitality or were more comfortable outdoors than indoors, but the elite guards liked their solitude, and because they had not decided whether or not to trust the new lord and once again guard the Castle East, there was no reason to stay there and risk attack from anyone. They would have no problem sneaking back into their rooms from outside. It wasn't that the normal guards were inexperienced or not taking their jobs seriously, but the elite guards knew how to stay one step ahead. Even sneaking into the castle, as opposed to sneaking out, wasn't hard, considering that they had memorized the guards patrol routines. It wasn't insult- it was the difference in their abilities that had allowed them to survive all these years.

Silently, seven shadows left the forest and moved onto the castle grounds, entering their separate rooms as dawn broke the horizon.

end chapter.


	12. Chapter 12 Into the Past

disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, its characters, or its original plot. Nor do I own Skip Beat, whose character names I borrowed so that I wouldn't have to make up and collect together names for the lord, lady, and others that are obviously not names after the Ranma cast.

-12-

**Chapter Twelve: Into the Past - a flashback to the old lord and a time before now**

Just for a while, I want to go into the past. Back to when the previous lord was still alive and when the elite guards first met...

-Ts-

Lord Tsuruga stared at Ranma, whose audience he had requested mere seconds ago. As always, the boy was punctual. He could swear that the kid had been listening outside of his door, for his messenger had barely left to find him when he had appeared in the room.

Tsuruga had found Ranma a few years back, recognizing his innate talent for fighting (and the hard life he had to live at an early age), and had offered him a job as a castle guard so that the boy would no longer have to be a nomad. Ranma had agreed - a fact that still surprised Tsuruga because Ranma's personality had seemed the type that was uneasy with peace. The boy wasn't used to having a home, and he was accustomed to violence, making him unapproachable to the average man because of the silence, stillness, and danger that radiated off him despite his young age. Not that he could blame the boy having grown up in the environment that he had. Still, he had been glad that Ranma had come back with him all those years ago, and that, aside from the occasional disappearance that Ranma did, he was never too far that, if called for, he did not appear right away. Tsuruga considered it a blessing in and of itself that Ranma hadn't left the castle, never to return. Still, he had sensed that the boy was getting edgy the longer he stayed here without a 'true' purpose. Being a castle guard did not give Ranma the outlet he needed to express himself, or to take control of his life to the degree that the boy felt necessary. Despite the difficult and strenuous daily requirements of the guard, Ranma undertook each task with ease, and it was soon noticeable that he excelled at everything. It had made many a guard jealous, and Ranma had since then toned down his abilities when in the presence of prying eyes, showing an amount of restraint during training that Tsuruga often took for granted. If Ranma hadn't been able to control his enormous strength and speed, he would have broken a lot of men's' bones when sparring - a fact that Tsuruga wasn't always sure that the other guards realized.

He greeted Ranma lightheartedly, uncowed by the younger man's silent and serious expression.

"Ranma, you shouldn't be so serious all the time. You're still young. Live life a little."

When the dark-haired youth did not respond, he adopted a more serious tone.

"I worry about you on those long trips that you take alone. You know, you're not invincible."

It was true that he had sent Ranma on these trips himself in order to ensure that the boy could expend his pent up energy and apply his skills (he had, in fact, just recently sent Ranma on one, which the boy had just returned from days ago), but that did not mean that he enjoyed it. Yes, it was sometimes necessary, in order to protect the Castle East, but he worried that one day, Ranma might do something reckless, because he had nothing to hold himself in check except his loyalty to Tsuruga, and his own, rigid control. Ranma needed a bigger purpose than protecting the castle.

"I am happy where I am, my lord." Ranma replied. The lord sighed a tired sigh. They have had this conversation many times before, always with the same results.

"At least consider what I told you before." He said, referencing an earlier conversation he'd had with his most valuable guard.

"The world is dangerous, even for men like you, in times like these. You should recruit more men to work with you to share and split the work so you can relax more. Otherwise, you'll grow old before you're time and have worry lines on your face."

The lord smiled, a bit sadly, looking as wise as his years. Although he was quite a young man, still unmarried as of yet, he was not prone to acting like a child, as others his age in positions of power usually did, complaining about the smallest thing and causing trouble for everyone. Tsuruga truly looked like he had earned all of his years, working hard instead of breezing by. A lords' job, in a time like this, done right, was not easy. He knew Ranma desperately needed a break, but would be unhappy with one unless given a purpose. Besides, if he was able to find other like him, perhaps he would be able to look at the world in another way besides the fact that it was a dangerous place.

"Go on a vacation and search. Gather some men that you approve of and bring them back to the castle. You shouldn't have to work so hard all the time. That is my suggestion to you."

Ranma stared at him for a minute, and Tsuruga, ever patient, stared back with a compassionate smile.

"It's a very wise suggestion, if I do say so myself." The lord joked. But then he smiled a gentler smile to soften the push.

"Go. I'll be fine while you're gone."

They had had this conversation before, and Tsuruga wasn't sure if the end result would be any different than then. Ranma had told him mere weeks ago that he had no interest in recruitment – that there were other people for that, and there were. But Tsuruga was willing to push the issue. It wasn't just new guards that he was asking for, but guards that would perhaps equal Ranma, and bring him comfort in the fact that he wasn't alone. Companions, who would stay by his side when the other guards avoided him. Someone, perhaps, who would not be afraid of him and who could see beyond the indifferent, serious mask he displayed to the world.

Ranma allowed his eyes to scan the room, taking in the guards posted at all exits and along the walls, before they returned to Tsuruga. The lord was fully prepared to hear once again the rejection of the offer that had fallen from Ranma's lips those weeks ago. However, Ranma surprised him by bowing.

"As my lord wishes. I shall return when I have found what you require."

Tsuruga allowed himself another smile before the boy left, relieved beyond measure. Perhaps this was indeed a step forward. He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Take all the time you need."

Still, he couldn't ignore the strange premonition he felt as the boy walked away, like a shiver of anticipation up his spine.

Once Ranma left the room, Tsuruga dropped his smile and sighed. That was one thing down, unexpected as it had been, but it brought forward another issue that needed his immediate attention.

"Yoshiro." he called. His main and most trusted guard (aside from Ranma) stepped forward. Before Ranma had come along, Yoshiro had been the main guard in charge of Tsuruga's protection. He still was, in many cases, unless the situation was dire enough or volatile enough that Tsuruga needed Ranma by his side and at his back. The guard didn't seem to mind being considered the second-to-last option instead of the last. In fact, he had wholly approved – saying that you could never be too careful in times like these.

"I want you to begin increasing the guards training as soon as possible."

"I can start that tomorrow, if you'd like, my lord." Yoshiro replied. "But may I ask why? I doubt that we'll be under attack while Ranma is gone. The lad is good, but we have no major enemies that we have to worry about at the time."

"That's not what I was worried about." Tsuruga replied, another smile creeping back up onto his face as he rested it on his hand. "As Ranma left, I had a premonition, of sorts. A feeling. Ranma will try not to return until he has completed my orders, of that I am sure. He's too serious about serving me to do that."

Yoshiro didn't call him on his confidence of such a statement, knowing that as absurd as a declaration was in most circumstances, it was true here. Ranma's loyalty was strong, true, and unquestionable. Despite his enormous strength, speed, and skill, Tsuruga and Yoshiro considered it the guards' most worthy trait. It was the one reason why Tsuruga trusted him so much – more than he would most people.

"But he thinks that he won't find anyone, and that he will eventually return empty-handed."

"He won't?" his attendant, guard, and right-hand man asked, confused.

"No."

Tsuruga allowed his smile to widen, although he couldn't understand why he felt like soon, all would be well.

"I have the feeling that he will find exactly what he's been looking for on his journey. And the people that he brings back will probably be just like him."

"Gods." Yoshiro commented, his voice almost trembling. "We will have to go into intensive training if we want the other guards to be able to keep up."

"Exactly." the lord said. "I doubt that Ranma will be expecting as much, though. He has yet to ever really meet anyone like him."

The smile, if possible, grew wider, and a bit mischievous.

"I wonder how he'll react to such a thing."

-R-

He left with only a small pack on his back. He trusted Lord Tsuruga in every order that he had been given, confident that the man would always strive to make the best possible choice when faced with numerous courses of action. But he was doubtful of this one - that he would find anyone who he would want to bring back to the castle to be with him. He had been alone for so long. Even within the boundaries of the Castle East, he felt alone except for the lord, whom he more considered someone that had to be protected than someone to stand by him. It was true that when they had first met, Tsuruga had been a good opponent and very skillful, and it wasn't that he didn't keep in shape, but Ranma had found that, over time, he was slowly surpassing the lord, and that meant that he could no longer stand as equals, but now just as a guard and a lord. It had made him feel slightly sad, although he had soon gotten used to the idea. He had never met someone who could match up to him for long.

He doubted that he ever would find someone who he'd share his work with, who he'd relax with. Who he'd approve of.

But still, he walked on, obeying orders. If he couldn't find anyone within half of Japan, he'd begin to head back.

His lord should not be kept alone for long. Although it was a peaceful time now, enemies, Ranma knew, never completely disappeared.

end chapter.


	13. Chapter 13 Into the Past first encounter

disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, its characters, or its original plot. Nor do I own Skip Beat, whose character names I borrowed (whether it's realized or not) so that I wouldn't have to make up and collect together names for the lord, lady, and others that are obviously not names after the Ranma cast.

-13-

**Chapter Thirteen: Into the Past** **- first encounter **

He had traveled to several towns in the span since he'd left the castle - three weeks to be exact, and had come across no one that had been worth investigating further. Nothing caught his interest. He had run across a few other travelers, but they had not even come close to what he was looking for. Although some of them were hardier than others, none had been hardy enough for his liking. Or clever. Or skilled enough. They were just regular people.

Lord Tsuruga had told him to find some men that _he _approved of, not that the lord approved of, knowing exactly what Ranma's standards were. No ordinary person, or man, would do. It would have to be someone unique. Someone with more than just strength or speed. Someone who understood and experienced more than just the outside shells of life.

Someone like him. And that was not his ego talking, but a fact.

He already knew that it was pointless, but it had not stopped him from looking. After all, Lord Tsuruga had asked him, and it was the least that he could do for the man he respected and who had taken him in, away from the life of complete darkness. Of course, Ranma was not an impatient person, and three weeks was a short time, but he did not like being away from the castle longer than necessary. He was not attached to the place in the least, but he had sworn to Lord Tsuruga that he would protect him, and spending unnecessary time traveling did not work towards fulfilling that goal.

A sound caught his ears, and Ranma's head snapped up and to the left. He had been walking in the forest between towns, and had not been expecting anyone to be nearby. It was enough out of the way from the path that no law abiding person would be out where he was. He did not count as such a person, though, because he knew this as a shortcut and was determined to cover a lot of ground very quickly to hasten his return. Besides, he was not exactly innocent in terms of the law, and he knew that he could protect himself from most if not everything he could possibly come across.

Slowly, carefully, he blended into the trees. Despite no longer living in the forest to stay alive, it was like he had never forgotten. Every time he had gone into the forest, it was like this. He didn't need to think about it anymore, he just _was_.

His footsteps making no noise on the grass and dirt ground, he crept towards the sound he had heard, unable to ignore it both for his own safety and knowledge. One did not walk in the woods without being aware of ones surroundings and any possible threats they may face, no matter how skilled they are.

As his eyes caught the sight of men, his blood began to boil. Not because they were there alone. No, far from that. They were harassing a young girl - someone about his age. And she was alone, with no protection, and obviously none of the guys were on her side.

"Hey, babe. You thought you could escape us in the forest, but we still caught you."

"We're gonna have fun, you an' us."

"Yeah. Away from the village, there's no way that you can resist us all. No one's here to hear you scream."

The last man to talk licked his lips lewdly, grinning at the girl in a perverse way that made Ranma's hair stand on end. The others weren't much better. They all looked at her as if she was something akin to a slab of meat, and they were starving. All in all, Ranma counted eleven men forming a circle around the girl.

"You've been teasing us for too long. Now it's time to give us a little taste."

His hand clenched into a tight fist, before he remembered to loosen it. A good fighter knew that the tenser you were, the less focused, the more likely you were to make a mistake. He forced his body to relax, knowing that that last spoken sentence meant the men were primed to advance.

When one of the men grabbed the girl's upper arm, Ranma was more than ready to take them down. Above all, he hated seeing people pick on the weak. The ugliness of life, of humanity, when it bared its fangs and showed its true, dark underbelly was most of what he had known. The unfairness of existence.

Because of what he knew, he couldn't let someone like her suffer an injustice like this if he had the ability to stop it. And he did have that ability.

But Ranma never got the chance to step in. Before the man who had touched the girl could blink, he was lying flat on his back on the ground, his contact with her broken.

The girl, whose head had been down until now, her bangs hiding her eyes, looked up and met the looks of her attackers. Even from his hiding place, Ranma could see the determination, the will to fight, in them, and looked on in something akin to awe and shock as she stood without fear. A lesser man would be trembling with it right now, much less a woman surrounded by this number of attackers. But she was calm, and not from ignorance. She had just bested one of her attackers in a move almost too quick to be seen.

"Why you-!"

The men rushed her, but the girl appeared unfazed. For a second, Ranma wasn't sure if she could back up her look with enough ability, or if she was in fact paralyzed with fear, because she didn't strike until they were within arm's reach. Expending as little energy as possible, the girl brought all the men to their knees, back, and belly, all without winding herself. Close quarters combat. Dangerous, with so many large opponents, but safer than putting distance and expending more energy against eleven attackers. Ranma had to give her points for guts. She never flinched, and her skill had been more than commendable. He was still unable to believe what he was seeing. If he was honest with himself, she was no ordinary woman. Perhaps she was even on his level. The idea caused an odd stirring in his chest.

Suddenly, the girl's head turned in his direction, and Ranma had the strange feeling that she was staring right at him. It was extremely unlikely, because he had purposely chosen this spot for its camouflage factor, but nonetheless, it was like she knew exactly where he was.

Their eyes, impossibly, met.

Ranma felt a shiver of some unknown emotion slide up his spine, and he knew that it was only partially explained away as awareness. This was unlike anything that he'd ever felt before. Several tense seconds passed, and although he was confident that she couldn't spot him, he dared not break eye contact and wasn't stupid enough to move even a hair's breadth. The girl had finished with her opponents, and all of her attention was focused on him. Finally, she turned, and he let her go, watched her walk away without a backwards glance in his direction, although he was positive that she had known he was there.

She was not much different than the wild animals in the forest.

She was not much different than him.

Ranma felt it in his gut.

He waited several minutes after she was out of sight before making his way to follow her. He didn't know where she was headed, but there was a town nearby. And she would have left a trail, no matter how slight, in the vegetation she walked through. He could track her.

He couldn't help but pursue her. He had to find out if she really was as good as he thought.

end chapter.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: first encounter part 2

disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, its characters, or its original plot. Nor do I own Skip Beat, whose character names I borrowed (whether it's realized or not) so that I wouldn't have to make up and collect together names for the lord, lady, and others that are obviously not names after the Ranma cast.

-14-

**Chapter Fourteen: Into the Past** **- first encounter part two **

It was a town. Not a large one, but thriving as towns that were located near water often were.

He could have probably tried asking around for her - where she lived, what her name was. Simple things like that. And it wasn't as if he couldnt've give a good description too - her visage would be forever burned in his head. Plus, he had a good memory. But that wasn't it. He instinctively knew from the exchange in the forest that she was a loner. Her abilities and attitude towards her situation had shown him that. Not once did she look around or call for help, not that anyone would have been out there but them. Nor did she seem surprised that she was being attacked. That spoke of someone that was used to being alone and dealing with similar situations.

What was more, her abilities and the grace and skill with which she had handled them spoke of practice. Continual use. And the fact that she did it with minimal energy spoke of both her brains and the frequency of such attacks. She fought with her brain - was smart enough to save her energy for any future attacks. She lived for more than just the present. She must care about herself, because she thought of, and planned for, the future.

That also meant that she might not stay in the town long. After an assault like that, especially if it was a regular occurrence in her life, after a few of them, she'd move on. Small towns like this were ripe for gossip. And outsiders were never seen as favorably when an insider spoke out against them, as he was sure her attackers would do. Blaming her for something out of spite. The girl had bested them and they were men with egos. They would want revenge in some way.

Ranma allowed himself a sigh. He had lost her once arriving within the limits of the town. The difficulty of tracking footprints was compounded by excessive traffic, and if she was smart and had known he'd follow her and he assumed she had, she'd make sure to walk within the most populated place and hide her trail among so many others.

Someone bumped into him, and Ranma turned to see their face. He wasn't oblivious enough to miss a pickpocket, even while he was in deep thought, and although he could get by without much money, it was the principle of the matter.

But just as he began to move after them and take his wallet back, he spotted her. She was walking towards him from the same direction he was headed, her head down, reading a book, probably as a rudimentary disguise to shake him off. If he had been less observatory, it might have worked. But he knew it was her, even though she had changed her hair style. Her posture, walk, and clothes blended in with those around her, but he knew somehow that she was the one. It was more than the fact that the height, the color of her hair, was right. It was almost like he felt a connection to her. And that alone told him to be cautious.

As she slipped past him, he felt his wallet drop back into his pocket. And he knew it was his wallet. The weight was the exact same and, when he reached in to feel it, the texture was too.

Before he considered the consequences of his actions, and before she got too far away, Ranma spoke.

"Thank you."

And despite the fact that he could have been talking to anyone, she turned to look back at him - as if she knew. Like they were connected.

Their eyes met. And he saw it in her chocolate orbs.

Recognition.

_She recognized him._

Ranma was speechless. Not that he was required to say anything, since she hadn't. He recalled Lord Tsuruga jokingly tell him that he made many a castle guard uncomfortable with his silence, but it was never intentional. He just hadn't grown up in an environment where talking was normal. And it wasn't often that he found a use for words anyway.

Despite having just met her, he had the strange feeling that this girl was the same as he. For, he recognized (although it wasn't his habit to do so) that she was a girl. And that somehow drew him in even more.

Although her features were very feminine and the look in her eyes older than most, he somehow knew that she was younger than him. And yet…she might've gone through more than he had.

When she continued to stare at him, unmoving, calculating and cautious, he knew that he was being sized up.

Why was he here? Why had he followed her? How dangerous of a man was he? Was he a threat to her? Did he mean what he said when he had thanked her? All these thoughts were unspoken, but he knew the path that her brain followed. And he stood there, unmoving, as people passed them by, allowing her to come to her conclusions. Nothing that he could say would affect her views of him, because she was someone who looked at a person's self, not allowing just their actions or words to define them in her eyes. And, most importantly, she wasn't allowing her very probable bias towards men to affect her behavior around him either.

Interesting. And very unusual. Despite the fact that he was a man, she wasn't judging him, or even the fact that he was following her, by the recent attack on her person. She was looking at him as an individual. How… refreshing.

Ranma felt something in him give, just a little bit. Soften. Reach out to her.

When she spoke, and told him exactly how much money his wallet had held in his pocket, Ranma couldn't help but smile to himself. It was no 'You're welcome', but a challenge. She wanted to know his worth.

And he was slowly discovering hers.

He answered back honestly, seeing, for the first time in a while, no reason to mask his skills. He somehow knew that she wouldn't shy away from him, no matter what he responded with. But he couldn't help but test her too, and said

"That would be true, but you took some of it for yourself."

He hadn't been lying when he knew his wallet by its exact weight dropping into his pocket. But he'd be a fool to not know that the weight_ inside_ the wallet was lighter. She had rewarded herself for her good deed, and he didn't hold it against her. It was a way to survive and do good without asking for a reward in return - a reward that many people wouldn't give. That they'd be too afraid to give if she showed them her talents, because they'd be too busy running away. It was a way to survive in this harsh, often cruel world, and yet be as honest and fair as one could be.

She nodded at him, but didn't offer to return the money. That was fine with him. He wasn't sure if he would have minded if she had taken it all in compensation. Because he realized that she would have been justified to that too.

After all, it wasn't every day someone trusted him. Because that was what she was doing right now, even if it was only slight. She spoke to him without fear or care as to what he thought.

Neither was it everyday that he met someone with eyes as shadowed and pained as his, that yet still managed to be kind enough not to take everything he had. Or that he met someone who raised his curiosity and, dare he think, his emotions. Because right now he was overflowing with them, with joy being among the top. And something else stirring along the bottom.

Meeting someone like him. Someone who might very well be his equal.

Ranma struggled not to get his hopes up. It was difficult, but he squashed them ruthlessly, those feelings of his. He hated being disappointed. He also hated being wrong.

She was still looking at him, her brown eyes focused and missing nothing. But she couldn't know what he was thinking, because he didn't know it himself. In that one moment, all he knew was that he wished that time could stand still, in this standoff with her. He wasn't fool enough to believe that the chance of her running away and disappearing into the crowd wasn't still high.

Yet he may have just found someone who met his high requirements, just like Lord Tsuruga had predicted.

-A-

The man in front of her puzzled Akane. He looked as still as a statue, a rock that felt no need to move for the people around them - a contrast with social norms that made him stand out more then blend in. His gaze was focused on hers, and his expression was masked. A practiced face – she could tell by the lack of stress signs around his features. He was calm, and used to presenting such a façade. But she didn't sense any danger from him, although she knew without a doubt that he was indeed dangerous. Deadly.

He had been the one watching her from the forest. She knew without a doubt this to be true. If her instincts, honed as they were, ever failed her, she would be in deep trouble. There would be no place far enough for her to run. So she trusted them, even though they were so silent and calm now when they would normally be screaming in alert. Because she wasn't sure that if she went up against this man, she would survive. The thought should terrify her. But it didn't. Somehow, she trusted not only her instincts, but him as well.

Akane's experience with those of the male denomination had never been favorable. Not since she had been born was there a time that she could remember not living with hardships - life scarring hardships, where a male was involved. Adolescence had taught her the unfairness, ego, and harsh reality of gender differences in both position in the world and power. Puberty had taught her a harsher lesson of men's desire - a fact that had forced her to hone more than just her mind. Akane had never _not _had to tolerate that harsh reality, but somehow, this one was different. His intense gaze even now was only focused on her eyes, as if searching for her mind and soul instead of her body. And his knowledge of her combat skills did not seem to have fazed his peace of mind or ego. In fact, he was curious.

His recognition of her deed had surprised her, probably more than she was comfortable accepting. No one had ever acknowledged her talents as anything good, even if it had saved her virtue or her life. She was always blamed for her actions.

_My poor boy! Oh, what did she do to you?_

_Whore! No self-righteous girl leads a boy on and then refuses! _

_You stole my husband from me! I'll kill you!_

_You asked for it girlie, looking like that._

_ Stop stealing the men in the village from us! You have no right!_

_Get her! She's trying to seduce him! _

Akane blocked out the memories of the past with a casual swipe of her mind. She did not need to dwell on it to deal with the present right now. She needed to rely on her instincts to find out what this man wanted.

-R-

She wasn't going to speak first, he knew. The silence game was meant to unnerve those with impatience and unease. But it was also time to think and observe, and he did not believe that she would waste a moment doing otherwise. Breathing levels, pupil dilation, stance, all could be used to observe a person's state of mind. You were either calm or you weren't. Brave, or scared. Confident and skilled, or stupid.

And quiet unless you had something meaningful to say.

"You do not get your wallet stolen often."

Her voice was soft and feminine when she spoke, another trait that shot through his mind as both information and emotion. She must be curious about him too, to have talked first. Willing to test the bonds of their interaction. Her stance changed to a casual one that blended in more with the crowd, and Ranma took her lead, relaxing into his own "ordinary traveller" guise. She wanted to test him.

When she began walking, Ranma did not hesitate to follow. As long as he assumed nothing of her movements, he had the feeling he'd be better at keeping up with her thought process.

"No." he replied.

"What distracts one who is so watchful?"

"You did."

The pause in their conversation, with neither of them looking directly at each other although they were walking in sync, told him she was calculating the weight of that word as well as his leg length and stride. And based on that and her earlier encounter, Ranma was able to understand more about her past than she voiced. An understanding she allowed him to reach.

"What about me distracted you?"

He had already decided on being honest.

"I am on a search. You fit my requirements. So I was curious."

"Not the specifications for another?" He did not take the implication of him scouting her as a concubine for a higher up as an insult, but as curiosity and the knowledge of the harsh truths of life. Ones that he knew as well.

"No. I was told to look for my own."

She was taking his answers in stride, but Ranma knew she was processing the information. Their small talk was not frivolity on her part. Of that, he was certain.

Again, she did not assume anything.

"For what?"

"The Castle East."

"Lord Tsuruga of the East needs a woman?"

"Lord Tsuruga wants a castle guard."

Again she paused. Then turned off to the side of the street and looked at him. Full concentration. She waited for him to speak first. He complied.

"My lord has required that I find suitable people to undertake my work with me as a palace guard. I am not to return until I find those I approve of."

"And I?"

"I am very curious of the possibility."

She searched his eyes, his mind, reading his stance and taking in the tone of his words.

"Are there others?"

"None yet."

"None of the guard you seek, although there are others there in the castle. You are curious, yet that is the only thing about me you ask?"

"The guards left at the castle are not what I seek, no. And I will not ask a question I do not want answered."

"You do not want to know my influence on men and my rumored past, as stated by those against me in the forest?"

"It does not matter."

"Your lord would not be pleased. Or would be very pleased."

"My lord's care is of no concern to mine in this matter."

Her eyes grew sharp.

"You obey but do not follow?"

"I weigh my loyalty by doing as is right, not as told."

Without words, he could see that she approved of his answer. She let him see it.

"You are honest."

"On purpose."

She moved closer to him, and Ranma sensed neither fear or uncomfortable uncertainty, nor lust in her stance. He didn't move, waiting for her to act first.

"What if I were to kiss you? What if I am pulling you along?"

"I would find out. I do not trust you enough for that."

"What if I were to strike you instead? If you collapsed in pain from me?"

"We would have to see."

They stared at each other from mere inches away, neither voicing comfortableness nor care at the distance or the words. Eyes searching.

"What if I rejected your offer?"

"Then I would like to trade for a match before I'm on my way."

She smiled then, just a bit in her eyes, but Ranma saw it and she knew and allowed it to be seen.

End chapter.


End file.
